


Seven Thousand Steps

by wispmother



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: F/M, Fantasy AU, M/M, Minor Violence, War is hell, What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, bad things happen to good people and there's no reason as to why, beloved character death, chapter 16 has the sex scene you pervert, death mention, it gets the e now because there's sex!, jon is bad and Not Good just like irl, secondary character death, this is supposed to hurt, you need the storm to find the rainbow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-04-18 15:19:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 53,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4710752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wispmother/pseuds/wispmother
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan lives an average life in a quiet corner of a kingdom ruled by a cruel man. While his life has never been hard, it's become a dull routine that he wants to break from. When he decides to save the lives of three rebels, he comes to learn that some consequences might not be worth their actions, and some actions are worth tenfold their consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

The setting sun cast the stables behind the Grumpy Troll Inn in searing orange light, causing Dan to squint against it while he finished his chores for the evening. He had slightly less work to do than usual, ever since the innkeeper’s son came of age to start learning some of the finer points of mucking out stables. Dan often wondered if he should worry more that the innkeeper’s son was learning how to do his job, but for the time being, he didn’t care. Having a little apprentice was benefitting him in the best ways now – less hard labor and aching muscles meant he had time to sit in a shadowy, forgotten corner of the inn during the evenings so he could watch the patrons as they ate and drank and told stories of the things they’d seen.

More than anything, Dan wished one of them –any of them – would notice him in the corner and ask him along when they set out on the road again. He dreamed of turning in the saddle every so often to look back, the inn becoming smaller and smaller on the horizon until it was just a blemish at the back of his mind. He knew it was an unreasonable thought – he knew horses and stables, and that’s what he was destined for – but he longed to see the things the passing warriors and pilgrims and fortune-seekers spoke of; to see the ruins of old Elven kingdoms and the strange beasts that haunted the deep southern wilds. He wanted to see port cities, their twisting streets forming mazes filled with activity at all hours of the day. He wanted to see great temples built for long-forgotten gods and listen for the echoes of the faithful’s prayers. The Grumpy Troll had been his home for as long as he could remember, and he was tired of it.

Being tired of his home, however, didn’t change the fact that he would probably never leave it. Either due to a quiet fear of leaving everything familiar, or a pang of guilt he felt every time he thought about leaving the Keeper and his family behind kept him tethered close. He hadn’t had a bad life at the Inn. The Keeper was kind enough, paid him fairly and didn’t mistreat him. Dan didn’t like the thought of putting him through any strain due to his leaving, but more and more the young man couldn’t help but think of the road that stretched in front of the inn, running north to south. He wondered on more than one occasion how far off the next inn was from the Grumpy Troll.

The clanging of metal against metal told Dan that the meal prepared for the workers of the inn was ready, and he eagerly set his shovel aside, stopping to wash his hands at the well before entering the inn through a side door, unnoticed by most patrons. As he crossed the threshold, he ran his hands over his short, curly hair, taming the dust out of it from the courtyard. The common area of the Inn, where travelers would gather to take their meals before retiring to their beds on the second story or heading out on the road again, was particularly full that night, the girls hired on from the nearby town moving at double their usual pace, looking tired even though the night was still rather young. Dan stopped in the kitchen, collecting a small plate of food and a mug of lukewarm ale before retreating to his usual corner of the large, open space. He was well out of the way of everyone, especially the Keeper’s sight, but he was able to take almost everything in.

He was half a swig into his ale when the door flew open, letting in cool spring air and three new figures. The first one to step in was a sturdily built man with dark hair and a similarly dark beard, his armor well-worn and dirty. He had a piercing gaze that scanned the entire room before taking a few steps forward to the counter where the Keeper’s wife was checking and double checking her books. Behind the sturdy man was a woman, well-muscled and graceful in every motion she made. She threw back her hood as she came to stand next to the first man, and Dan nearly choked on his ale. She was an elf, and the look she sent around the room dared anyone to say something about it. Her long dark hair matched her dark painted eyes and pale skin. She adjusted the sword at her hip as the third figure closed the door behind him, tugging at gloves to free his hands. He had a cool look about him, a certain aloofness that Dan usually saw with nobles but this man broke the façade too quickly. He grinned as he glanced around, his gaze finally resting on something in the far corner of the inn that Dan couldn’t see as he leaned forward to whisper something to the elf woman. Her gaze tracked to wherever it was he was looking and her look hardened even more, if it were possible. She glanced back at the smiling man, giving him a look that was an unmistakable warning before he pulled away, the traces of a grin still lingering on his face. His hair was in an unusual shoulder-length style with a flash of blonde mixed in with the dark brown, his body was thicker and obviously stronger than the bearded man’s.  A sparse beard was starting on his face, making him look younger than the first man that had come in as well. His armor was sparser than his companion’s, and Dan wondered if he wasn’t a page, but he didn’t seem to act like other pages did when they came in with their lords. The smiling man seemed to pay no mind to either of his companions, instead still carefully observing the common room, his eyes falling on Dan once, and hovering there for a moment before moving on. Dan felt a heat rise to his cheeks as he took another long drink of ale.

The Keeper’s wife finally set her book down, moving to write down the names of the new patrons before collecting a few gold pieces from the first man. She cast a wary glance to the elf woman before pointing to the stairs, explaining where their rooms were before snapping at a serving girl that tried to sneak by, instructing her to show them the way. The trio followed the girl and soon had disappeared up the stairs. Dan noticed that more than one table seemed to follow the newcomers actions, their eyes tracking their movements up the stairs, finally breaking when they were out of sight. He wondered vaguely if they would come back down to eat, but his answer came when the girl who had led them to their rooms came bolting back down the stairs to disappear into the kitchen, reappearing moments later with a large tray full of food.

A few minutes passed and the girl returned with an empty tray, slinking into the kitchen to avoid any more randomly assigned duties. Dan’s thoughts found their way back to his dinner and before long he’d cleaned his plate and finished the last drops out of his tankard. Sitting back on his perch, he closed his eyes and tried to listen to the nearest tables and the talk passing among the people seated there. It was the usual banter about the King and his taxes, or the King and his new brutalities, or the King and his new fight against the rebels. He always perked up when he heard mention of the forces being amassed by an unknown leader to fight against the King. He would be the first to admit that he didn’t know or understand the full breadth of the wrongs King Jonathan had committed against his people, but he knew the Keeper bemoaned his taxes, and often had to feed and house the King’s Officers with little notice and no compensation. Daniel knew that the King wasn’t a kind man, nor was he a fair one. In his naïve opinion, Dan’d come to quietly hate the King, if only because his employer had expressed the same, albeit in whispers he thought no one else could hear. More than anything, though, Dan was fascinated by the rumors built up around the rebels. In their current iteration, the rebels were fighting in the name of a lost prince that King Jonathan had somehow stolen the throne from, that every day their troops gained numbers the false king could never hope to defeat, that even Elves from the North were joining the fight and that the King was beginning to get nervous.

Dan was so wrapped up in listening to the nearest table that he nearly didn’t notice the two Officers pass him by on their way out to the door to the stables. Their heavy footsteps shook him out of his trance but the same side door Dan had used to come in earlier had shut soundly behind them before Dan could slide off his perch, cursing under his breath. These Officers were regulars at the Inn, and were known to report directly to the King. Even that fact aside, making an Officer angry was generally a bad idea. They were granted enough power to make life harder for people like Daniel and his employer.

The young man jogged out to the stable, but didn’t immediately see the two men by their horses. Confused, he walked down the row of stalls, past the two chestnut beasts that belonged to the men and towards the back of the stable. He barely had left the open doorway when he caught sight of the Officers. They were standing over the Keeper, the old man kneeling on the ground, his face in his hands. In the dim light left over from the setting sun, Dan could see the Keeper’s face was covered in blood. He ducked behind a pile of hay just outside the door, the dried grasses high enough to keep him out of their sight. Slowly, Dan turned around, peeking his head out of his hiding place to watch what was going on.

“You let one of their kind have a room here?” One of the officers growled, his right leg shifting like he was making ready to deliver a kick to the Keeper. Dan wondered how many his employer had already endured in the short time he’d been trapped out here with the Officers.

“I didn’t- I didn’t know we weren’t s’post to! I didn’t know!”

“Quiet or someone will hear.” The second officer barked. “You know better- and then those two, having the gall to be seen with her. It’s almost as if-“ There was a lull between the three men, until the second officer spoke again, quickly and quietly. “Go clean yourself up. Speak of this to no one.”

Dan ducked back under the cover of the hay and heard scrambling against dirt - the Keeper had made his escape. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and sank further into the hay. His heart was pounding, the sound of his blood filling his ears. Slowly, he peeked around the hay again to see where the Officers had gone. Unfortunately, they were still standing where they’d been, watching the Keeper re-enter the inn before speaking to each other.

“They fit the description. We’d be fools to not try and take them,” the second officer said, his voice nearly trembling.

“I thought the same thing. Only they would have the audacity to be seen in public like that. Although the third man, I didn’t recognize.”

“Doesn’t matter. If he’s with them, he’s just as guilty. Besides, any chance to thin out rebel numbers is one we should be taking.”

“So do we go now?”

“No, let them get comfortable, let their guard down. We’ll get them just before dawn. The Innkeeper knows better than to say anything.”

Dan slid back behind the hay, his heart still pounding hard in his chest. If the Officers were right, then those three travelers were part of the rebel group and they were in trouble. He scrubbed his hands over his face as quietly as he could, trying to decide what to do. Part of him wanted to slip back into the Inn and forget he’d heard the conversation. The Officers would arrest the travelers on grounds of treason and that’d be the last they’d ever see of them. But another part of him wanted to warn them. He wanted to see them escape and foil the King and his men and ride off to fight another day. Dan glanced back again, and the Officers were still there, talking in low tones to one another, their backs turned to him. As quietly as he could, Dan stood and moved down the line of stalls, back to the side door of the inn. There was still a fair number of people in the common area, eating and drinking, and the last thing Dan wanted was to bring attention to himself. He retreated to the kitchen, nearly running into the girl who had led the travelers to their room.

“Watch it!” she crowed, turning her tray full of food to keep it from running into Dan’s body.

“What room are they in?” He whispered, grabbing her arm to keep his question between the two of them. She looked at him with a confused expression, pulling her arm away before her face changed.

“You mean those two men and the elf woman? Last one on the right. Elf was real jumpy, so if you’re going up to snoop, be careful.”

Dan thanked her and moved through the kitchen, finding the small door that led to the even smaller addition that had served as his room for the last ten years of his life. If he was really going to do this, if he truly was going to tell the three travelers in the last room on the right that two Officers were going to storm their room before dawn and arrest them and that he wanted to make sure they got away, he needed to be ready for everything that would happen after that. He wasn’t naïve enough to think he’d get away with spoiling their plan. The issue came down to how long did he have before they realized someone had sabotaged them, and how much longer after that until they figured out it was him.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing his plan come full circle is one thing, but the consequences of it are another thing entirely.

Dan sat on the edge of his bed, looking around the space like it was all new to him. He didn’t have much that actually belonged to him, minus a few bits of clothing and a handful of silver coins that wouldn’t even get him a night’s stay at a half-rate inn, but they were his. He stood up and removed the loose wall brick in the far corner of the room, scraping out the coins so he could pour them into the pouch at his belt. If he had to run at a moment’s notice, he at least wanted to be as ready as possible. Looking around the room again, he took an uneasy breath in, and let it out in a long, shaky blow. He hoped this wasn’t the last time he’d see this room. He turned on his heel and marched back out towards the common room, the crowd thinning by the minute. He wondered if the Officers had come back in, but the question was answered for him as they strode in the side door, not looking towards anyone.

They moved decisively towards the stairs, their footsteps easy to follow on the wooden floor once they were out of sight. They didn’t go far, as the usual room they took up was near the top of the stairs, and he listened for the distinct creak of the opening and closing of the door. It came, however quietly, and he took another breath. Getting the rebels past that room might be harder than he thought, but if he could make their escape route as simple as possible, it wouldn’t matter. He settled back into his spot in the corner of the large room, watching as the final groups of people either left the inn or headed to their beds. Soon it was just a few of the serving girls left, cleaning tables before they started their walk home together and one of the older cook’s assistants, a boy charged with making sure the girls got back to their homes safely. For the most part, none of them paid him any mind, but a few wished Dan a good night as they slipped out, extinguishing candles as they went and leaving the common room in an eerie half-light that only served to make Dan more anxious. Finally, he was satisfied that everyone was asleep or wrapped up in themselves enough that he could go unnoticed.

As quietly as he could, Dan made his way back outside and into the dark stable. He lit a lantern and looked among the horses, trying to find the three he didn’t recognize. The Keeper’s son would have put them into stalls, probably all together, since they had been running out of space earlier in the day. A few beasts nickered at him, their ears turning to follow the sound he made as he crept by. He hushed every one that threatened to make more noise than necessary, inspecting the residents of each stall, searching for the right animals.

Near the end of the stable, in a large stall usually reserved for the Inn’s mare when she was with foal, Dan finally found them; two sable geldings and a grey mare that stared him down the same way the elf woman had stared the entire inn down when she’d come in. They were undoubtedly the animals that belonged to the three rebels. He started the process of saddling them, cinching buckles and roping reins over ears, whispering calming words to them as he worked, his hands shaking the entire time. He paused whenever he thought he heard footsteps, lowering the wick of the lantern to keep his work hidden, but no one ever passed through, and he knew it was getting later and later.

“If you don’t do this right,” Dan whispered to himself, readjusting a saddle for the third time. “They aren’t going to be able to escape.”

Finally, the three horses were saddled and ready to ride. The last part of the plan seemed simple enough in his head: if he could get the three rebels out to the stable and onto the road before the Officers even left their room to start their plan, Dan was sure they’d make it.

He slipped back inside easily enough, the common room just as dark as he’d left it. In the stillness of it, he could hear the gentle snoring of a guest from upstairs. He wagered it would be enough cover to get him up the stairs easily enough. He moved as quickly as old floorboards would allow, cresting the stairs and moving down the hall with no issue. He couldn’t hear anything coming from the Officer’s room, but that didn’t mean much to Dan. The hall was short enough and once faced with their door, he was suddenly paralyzed. Would they even believe him? Or would they think he was trying to lure them into a trap?

He lifted a hand and knocked once, twice, as gently as he could. A long moment passed before a slightly accented female voice came from inside.

“Who’s there?”

“I-it’s… it’s the stable hand.” Dan finished flatly, his hand dropping to his side. His palms itched, and he wished they would just open the door.

“What’s your business here at this hour, stable hand?” the voice that Dan guessed belonged to the Elf was tired but still had a bite behind it that he didn’t want to test, but he didn’t want to have to warn them through the door so everyone and the Officers could hear it.

“Your horses, there’s… there’s something wrong. May I step in?”

The long pause that followed his question was almost enough to make Dan retreat. He kept glancing down towards the door to the room where the Officers were, and he prayed desperately that they were asleep, or at least trapped in the fog of half-sleep. Finally the door ahead of Dan opened just enough for him to slip inside, only to immediately shut behind him once he was in the room. Instantly, he found himself toe to toe with the Elf woman. Despite the fact that she was nearly a head and a half shorter than he was, she looked at Dan in a way that made him feel like rather he was one that was a head and a half shorter.

“So, what’s wrong?” She asked, her hands on her hips. Dan couldn’t help but notice her sword wasn’t in place there.

“I’m sorry, I lied. There’s nothing wrong with your horses. I’m just… I’m here to warn you.” Dan’s voice was quiet and he spoke quickly, his hands anxiously rubbing at the edge of his long shirt. The Elf’s face flashed a look of irritation but before she could speak, the bearded man’s voice sounded from where he was standing towards the back of the room, his body blocking the longer-haired man from view as he sat on the furthest bed.

“Warn us about what?” his voice was just as soft as Dan’s. The Elf glanced back at him, but turned her body so she wasn’t standing between the two men anymore.

“There are two Officers here, and I overheard them talking about the three of you. They think you’re rebels. They’re going to try and arrest you at dawn, and I-“

“You think we’re rebels?” The Elf said, her voice gaining back the bite he’d wanted to avoid when he first heard it.

“Give it up, Nyerro.” The long haired man finally spoke up, standing up to move towards the other three. “The Officers figured it out, why lie? I told you they’d give us trouble.”

The Elf didn’t say anything else, just watched him walk up while the bearded warrior spoke for them.

“So the two Officers that are here want to try and arrest us at dawn, is that right?”

Dan nodded, glancing between the three people in front of him.

“Then we need to be gone before morning gets here,” the second man said, turning to gather things off of a small table.

“But what if he’s trying to lead us into a trap?” The Elf had folded her arms over her chest while she cast exasperated looks to her companions.

“Suzy, I don’t think that’s his plan.” The second man said, still picking up item as he threw her a sheepish grin. The Elf – Suzy or Nyerro or whatever her name was, Dan couldn’t keep it straight – huffed out a sigh and dropped her arms.

“How can you be sure?”

“Call it instinct.”

A round of looks passed between the three rebels, leaving Dan to wonder what they were articulating to each other through their unspoken cues. He shifted his weight to his other foot just as the bearded man spoke again, his gaze refocused on the stable hand.

“What’s the best way for us to get out of here?”

“Ideally, down the stairs and out one of the side doors, but I don’t know if the Officers are asleep or just waiting. It might not be safe for all of you to go past their room.”

“What’s outside the window?” Suzy asked, pointing to a wide opening near the bed the long haired man had been sitting on.

“Trees. That side of the building faces the forest.”

“We could get down there from here,” the Elf said, moving to the window to gauge the drop. “But after that I’m not sure. We’d have to move past their window, and as you said we aren’t sure what they’re doing.”

“I can help with that,” Dan said, his heart thumping. He was beginning to think they really would be able to pull this off. “I already saddled your horses, I could bring them to you, and you could ride out to the road along the near side of the inn.”

“It could work,” Suzy mused, the corners of her mouth twitching into a small smile.

“It will work.” Dan said, surprising himself. “Just wait in the woods, and I’ll bring your horses. I’ll make a dove call to let you know it’s me.”

The rebels nodded at Dan, watching as he slipped back out the door and made his way back towards the stairs. He slowed his pace going by the Officer’s room, hoping to catch a sliver of conversation, but he didn’t hear anything. He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or worried by the absence of sound. He made his way down the stairs and back through the dark common room, out the side door and into the stable. The three horses were still in their stall, waiting patiently. Dan wanted to get them away from the inn as quickly as possible, but he wasn’t sure he could quietly lead all of horses at one time. He took two by the halters – the angry grey mare and one of the sables – and led them out, moving slowly to check his surroundings before every step.

The back of the building was comprised of a short stretch of grass before the tree line, making it possible that anyone who passed through could be seen by someone looking out of their window. Walking as close to the inn as he dared, he led the two horses towards the far corner of the building, past the window that he hoped the three had already dropped from. At the edge of the forest he was finally able to breathe again, and he made the soft cooing sound of a dove, waiting for any kind of response. Half a moment passed and the three emerged from the underbrush.

“I’ll be right back,” Dan whispered, handing the reins to the bearded man before turning back towards the stables, moving much quicker without two animals in tow. Without incident, he led the last horse out and back down the side of the inn, the three waiting for him in the open without his call. The long haired man was still standing, his hand outstretched to take the lead from Dan while his companions watched from on top of their mounts.

“Thank you,” the bearded man said, reining in his sable to keep it steady. “We should be able to put a fair distance between us and this place before they even realize what happened.”

“It’s nothing, I just didn’t want to see you get caught. Those Officers aren’t…”

“They’re like their king,” Suzy said, her face grim. “There is no kindness in them, only anger and greed and fear.”

The two on horses nodded a farewell to Dan before nudging their mounts towards the road, leaving Dan alone with the third man, who hadn’t mounted his horse yet.

“Helping us isn’t really ‘nothing’,” he said, digging in the pouch on his belt. “It’s brave and foolish… there’s no action without consequence, but I’m glad you chose to be brave and foolish. And I hope you don’t see too much trouble because of us. This is for you. I wouldn’t show it off to any Officers, but consider it something to remember us by.”

The man pressed a small, circular object into Dan’s hand before swinging himself up onto his horse and following his companions to the road. Dan walked after; watching as the three took off, heading north. He watched until the shadows cast by the trees swallowed them up, covering their escape.

He squeezed his hand around the object the man had given him. It was made of metal, and felt heavy in his palm. Opening his hand he found a cloak pin resting there, with an intricate emblem of a rearing unicorn surrounded by roses carved into the center. He’d never seen a coat of arms like it before, considering the King’s emblem was twin griffons against a black tower. This one seemed almost like an exact opposite to the royal coat of arms. Dan slipped the pin into his belt pouch and started back to the stables, deciding to move some horses from more overcrowded stalls to the now empty one before slipping inside to finally find some sleep. Just as he rounded the corner of the inn, the side door flew open. Dan stopped short and hung back in the shadows, watching as the Officers stormed out, the Keeper trailing behind them, begging them to calm down.

“We heard someone leave,” one of them growled as he entered the stables. Dan’s heart sank as he realized they must have heard them take off down the road. It sank further when he wondered if they’d heard him pass under their window. It didn’t take longer than a moment for the Officer to see the empty stall and come tearing out again, pushing past the other Officer and the Keeper to fly back inside. Dan knew without fail that he was going for their room, for the proof they they’d escaped. Dan watched the second Officer and the Keeper go back inside and he followed after them, catching the door before it slammed shut and sliding inside just in time to see them all ascend the stairs. It didn’t take long for the banging and yelling to start; the first Officer was at their door, demanding they open up, demanding they turn themselves over to his custody. When no answer came, the sound of cracking wood told Dan he broke the door down, and the enraged cry told him he found an empty room.

Moving quickly, Dan retreated through the kitchen to his room, shutting the door soundly just as he heard the Officer storm in, moving towards the door that led to the Keeper’s living quarters. Panic suddenly rose in his throat as he realized he could hear the Keeper’s son crying.

“Where did they go?!” the Officer’s yelling was loud enough to wake the entire inn, and Dan wondered how long it would be until they were all congregated in the common area, complaining about the noise but falling quiet when they realized what was going on. The yelling continued, the phrases muffled until thumping steps and what sounded like a struggle moved back through the kitchen and, as Dan guessed, back into the common area. He opened his door again when the sound passed to find himself in front of the Keeper’s wife, tears staining her face.

“They’re going to kill him! They’re going to kill my son unless someone tells them where those three travelers went.” She buried her face in her hands, her whole body shaking and Dan suddenly could only think of what the long haired man had said to him before he left.

_‘Helping us isn’t really ‘nothing’… It’s brave and foolish…’_

“They won’t kill him,” he said, his voice shaking more than he meant it to. “I won’t let them.”

The woman lifted her head from her hands and looked hard at Dan, weighing his words in her mind. A long second passed and he could see the realization in her eyes, the relief and fear that mixed there. He didn’t wait for anything else, but walked past her, towards the commotion that was filling the previously silent common room.


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How long does Dan have until his luck finally runs out?

Daniel walked into a common room suddenly half-lit; a small crowd of patrons had gathered as he’d predicted, holding candles or lanterns. A few stood on the balcony at the top of the stairs, but more stood in the half-circle surrounding the Officers;  one of which had a firm grip on the Keeper’s son, holding him up by an arm, lifting his small body off of the floor. He was still crying, albeit quietly, his body shaking with residual hiccoughs. The Officers seemed to be waiting for someone else to make a move, their wild glances moving from patron to patron to the Keeper, who was shaking between the cook and his oldest assistant.

“Who told them?!” the Officer holding the Keeper’s son roared. No one moved, but the Keeper let out a gasping sob when the second Officer drew out his knife.

“If no one speaks, the boy begins losing fingers. After that, who knows? The knife could slip.” The second Officer pulled the boy down, taking the child’s wrist in a grip meant to prove he wasn’t making half-hearted promises. Someone in the crowd uttered a curse towards the two men, but still, no one moved.

From where he stood, Dan could only catch half of what the Officers were doing, as they were positioned with their backs mostly to him. His mind raced. He had to do something, had to _say_ something, but his heart was in his throat and he didn’t have a plan. He didn’t have time for a plan. The Officer moved his blade towards the boy’s hand and before he could stop himself, Dan had opened his mouth.

“I did it!” he cried before he even knew what he was saying. He cringed, but decided not to give the Officers time to close the gap between them and him. “It was me, I told the rebels you were coming for them, and I helped them escape. Just me! It’s me you want.”

The Officers turned, and the Keeper’s son was able to slip away, dashing towards his father. The crowd closed in around them, sheltering them from view, but looked expectantly at Dan.

“You’ve committed an act of treason, stable hand.” The first Officer said, the look on his face darker than Dan had ever seen on another human. He took slow steps back, trying to keep the distance between himself and the two imposing men, but they were advancing quicker than he gauged. “The penalty for treason is death.”

The Officer made a leaping grab for Dan, but the slim man turned away from his grasp, diving for the side door to escape back outside. He could hear shouts coming from behind him, becoming muffled when the door closed but he didn’t turn around to see if the Officers had made it outside to give chase. Daniel just ran, tearing onto the road, following it north without a second thought.

The road entered a thick forest, the new leaves sparsely covering the grey sky as it began to show hints of the quickly approaching dawn. The semi-darkness could only cover him for so long, and as a stitch in his side began to form, Dan veered off into the brush along the road, collapsing under tangles of roots and bushes, his breathing heavy and painful. He hadn’t run for an extraordinarily long time, but enough time had passed that he wondered why he hadn’t been overtaken by the Officers yet. He stilled his breath, listening for hoof beats. Faintly, he heard the familiar thudding coming down the road, and he forced himself up, turning to run through the woods.

He had no idea where he was going, and he knew full well that they would likely be able to hear him tearing through the underbrush, but Dan’s thoughts could only zero in on putting one foot in front of the other, moving through the trees as quickly as he could. He’d lost all sense of time, and wasn’t sure how long he’d been running. He tried to figure it between reminding himself to breathe and watching where he stepped, skipping over gnarled roots and overgrown grasses, but the numbers wouldn’t come to him. He finally stopped under a large oak tree, breathing harder than he had been before, his entire body screaming at him to stop. He tried to slow his breathing to listen for any sound of the Officers, but nothing stuck out to him over the chirping of birds and the sound of his own breathing.

Starting up again, he continued at a slower pace, reaching the edge of the forest with just a few more minutes of running. When he broke through the tree line, he found himself in a foggy field, the neatly hoed rows telling him it belonged to a farmer. Jogging along the watering path, he moved through the fog until the shape of a house took form. He slid to a halt when he realized a woman was sitting just inside an open doorway, her hands working at a loom with speed only gained by years of experience. Dan made to turn around but the woman caught sight of him, causing her to jump up from her seat and let out a small shriek.

“No, please, shh,” he whispered, turning back to the woman, his hands raised to show her they were empty.  “I can’t be found, the Officers-“

“Officers?” The woman’s expression melted from surprise and fear to concern.  “Are you being pursued?” The woman’s voice held an edge that Dan was sure meant another yell, this time louder. He wanted to say no, but continuing to run wouldn’t be an option soon. He could feel that his legs were about to give out.

“I am, I just-“ The sharp sound of a whinnying horse stopped Dan’s sentence short. Panic flooded his face but before he could speak again, the woman was sliding her chair aside, stopping for half a second to adjust a small bundle on her back.

“Here, hurry.” She said, pulling the loom aside before kicking over a rug to reveal a cellar door. She motioned to it and Dan dove for the door, praying the woman wouldn’t betray him. He knew his luck had to be close to running out, but maybe - just maybe - he could fit one more miracle into this morning.

He slipped inside the cellar, quietly pulling the door down after him. As soon as he did, he heard the scraping of the loom being put back into place, then her seat, then the woman as she went back to her work. It seemed to all happen at once when Dan heard familiar heavy footsteps, being followed by softer footfalls and an annoyed voice.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the new voice said, the sound muffled by the floorboards between it’s owner and Dan. “I didn’t hear anything, and I haven’t seen anyone come through this morning, aside from you two.”

“We heard a commotion, and we have reason to believe a man passed this way. He’s a traitor and needs to be held accountable for his actions.” The familiar sound of one of the Officer’s voice sent a chill through Dan, and he took a step away from the cellar door, as if he was afraid it’d suddenly fly open and expose his hiding place.

“A commotion? You must have heard me when a deer came out of the fog and startled me,” the woman said, her voice light and friendly. There was a long pause before the other Officer spoke.

“A deer? You’re sure you didn’t see a man, about this tall, short curly hair, thin frame? You understand that lying to us will put you in his same position?”

“Why would I lie?” the woman said, her voice daring the Officers to respond. Instead, the annoyed man spoke up again.

“You know, now that you mention it, I did see someone fitting your description head up the road and into the woods to the North not too long before you two arrived. He was moving pretty quick, but I imagine if he knows you’re after him, he’ll make a break for Waynesse before crossing the mountains.”

“You’re certain he didn’t cut to the northeast?” The question came quick and sharp from the first Officer.

“Why would he? The only thing you’ll get going that way is the foothills and certain death. If he’d went that way, Sirs, he’d be as good as dead.”

One of the Officers grunted in what had to have been a non-committed agreement, and finally –finally- the heavy plodding of their footsteps moved away from the hidden cellar door. Dan let out a shaky breath, holding his hand on his chest. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath, or that his heart had picked up its pace. A few moments passed before the sound of moving furniture thundered over him, and in an instant he was being lifted out of the cellar by a man he didn’t recognize. He had dusty grey hair and a stare more intense than Dan had ever seen. He found it hard to meet his gaze.

“Ah, you must be the one they’re looking for,” the man deadpanned, his hands coming to rest on his hips. “What did you do to get on their bad side?” The woman came to stand next to him, her arms folded loosely over her chest. She watched Dan with a much kinder stare, both of them waiting for his answer.

“I-I helped some friends avoid getting arrested.” A look passed between the man and woman, and Dan felt new fear welling in his chest. “Look, I’m sorry I dragged you into this, really, truly I am. I- Let me just...” Dan went for his belt pouch, pulling out the few coins he had. The cloak pin tumbled out after his hand, rolling on the floor before stopping next to the farmer’s boot. The man bent to pick it up, eyeing it curiously without a word. Dan cringed, praying the man had charity in him like the woman did.

“Where did you get this?” the man asked, not looking away from the pin. His voice didn’t betray any sort of anger, but Dan still felt uneasy watching him examine the long-haired man’s gift.

“A friend gave it to me,” he answered cautiously, his palm sweating around the silver coins. “If you want it, you can have it. As thanks, for hiding me.”

The man finally looked up from the token, but held it out for Dan to take. Without hesitation, the younger man took it back from him, silently thankful that he didn’t have to give it up.

“This is worth more in your possession.” The farmer said, running a hand through his short hair. “And put your coin away, it won’t do us much good. If you want to say thank you, you can help me with some things around the farm.”

“I’d be glad to, I was a stable hand, so-“ Persistent whimpering sounds broke Dan’s attention and he looked towards the woman, who turned to offer the bundle on her back to the man. Much to Dan’s surprise, he produced a small, wriggling baby from the sling, its whimpers abated when it realized it was being held.

“I suppose it’d be fair to introduce ourselves,” the woman said, taking the baby from the man. “I’m Rachel, and this is my husband Brian. And this here,” she said, bouncing the baby in her arms. “This is Audrey.”

“I’m Dan, and thank you for hiding me, you didn’t have to do that.”

“You’re welcome, dear. We have to watch out for each other sometimes, with the likes of them claiming to be in charge.” Rachel smiled fondly at Dan before turning to head deeper into the cottage, leaving the two men standing in the small room.

Brian sighed and stepped out of the cottage, his gaze cast out over the fields. Dan followed suit, noticing that the fog had mostly lifted, exposing long stretches of tilled earth that went far enough back so as to meet the tree line at every row. Every few feet, a thin strip of land served as a watering path, to help avoid crushing any precious plants. Already the green tops of whatever root Brian had planted last fall were filling in the rows, shifting slightly as a breeze passed through the field.

“If you can help me today, weeding out the fields and maybe taking a look at some tack that needs repair, I can give you a place to sleep tonight and some supplies. I’ll keep the Officers off your trail, and send you in a safe direction in the morning. Fair deal?” Brian turned his head to look over to Dan, who nodded in response. It was more than he could have ever hoped would be offered to him, and he wasn’t about to tempt fate by turning the offer down. He shifted his weight and looked back over the field, the distant nickering of a horse making him look towards the road.

“Do you think the Officers will come back this way?”

“It’s hard to say what they’ll do,” Brian said, stepping off the wooden planks that made up a narrow deck and strolling towards one of the fields. “I tried to convince them to go all the way to Waynesse, but who knows if they’ll actually go all that way? They could pass back through, they might not. If you stay back in the fields or in the barn, they won’t find you. I won’t let them.”

“I appreciate it, Brian,” Dan said, hoping the sincerity in his voice wasn’t lost on the older man.

“Rachel is right. We have to watch out for each other. No one else is, these days.” Brian rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed again –a quiet afterthought of a sigh that usually indicated resignation. “Well, work’s waiting. Might as well get to it, right?”

Dan nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face for the first time that day.

“Right.”


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Dan's managed to evade the Officer's for now, he still has the rest of his life to worry about. How much can the farmer he's just met really help him?

The day passed quickly for Dan. Between working in the fields with Brian and inspecting and attempting to repair the nearly ancient tack the farmer had for his old gelding, he didn’t notice the sun slink lower and lower into the sky, dragging its dark blanket behind it. Only when the older man came to stand in the barn door, knocking on the wood frame to get his attention, did Dan realize how late it had gotten.

“There’s food ready at the house if you want to eat with us,” Brian said, turning towards the cottage without waiting for an answer. Dan set aside his attempt at repairing the well-worn bridle and followed the farmer out into the cool night air. He’d been on edge for a long while after the Officers left, nervous that they would return and catch sight of him, but they never reappeared on the road. Or at least he never saw them return, but either way he was glad that he managed to avoid them. The work of the day had kept his mind off of things, and Dan was grateful for it.

As he followed Brian into the house, the smell of bread and stew hit him and he remembered how hungry he was. Rachel was still setting dishes on the rough-hewn table when the two men came in, Brian showing Dan the pitcher of water and basin where they could wash their hands before sitting down.

“How was the day?” the woman asked warmly, finally moving to check on the baby in her makeshift cradle before sitting down to eat. Dan wasn’t sure who she was addressing, but assumed it would be her husband.

“I think we accomplished quite a bit. At least the radishes aren’t going to get choked out by weeds yet.” Brian answered, a calm, satisfied smile on his face. Dan nodded in agreement, but couldn’t bring himself to add anything. He suddenly felt like he was intruding on something very personal. He kept his eyes low as Rachel passed him dish after dish, insisting he try one thing or another. After a few moments though, quiet settled over them as they ate, the sound of the fire eating away at its fuel and the soft sounds of a sleeping baby filling in the empty spaces.

“So, Dan,” Rachel finally asked, after they’d all finished their first bowl of stew. The man looked up at her, almost startled by her words. “What kind of place did you have to leave behind, running from those thugs?”

“I was working at the Inn – The Grumpy Troll – that’s south of here, I think.”

“That’s a fair way down the road, isn’t it?” Rachel asked, looking towards her husband. Brian nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything, letting his wife continue her questions.

“Had you been there long?”

Dan paused for a long moment, thinking back to when he’d first arrived to work at the Inn. It didn’t feel as long ago as it actually was.

“Close to ten years. They gave me work when I came looking, right after my Ma and Da passed on. I think they were mostly just desperate for help, and it was just luck that I was good with horses.”

“I’m sorry, Dan,” Rachel said, her voice quiet. She offered him more stew, which he declined. His appetite was far from him now. There was a long silence that Dan guessed might have been awkward for the two farmers, but he found himself lost in thought about what could have happened to the Keeper and his family once he’d managed to escape. The only thought that seemed to want to flash across his mind was that of the Keeper’s son held aloft by the arm, his limp body swaying with every jerking motion.

“Where are you going to go now?” Brian asked, breaking the silence Dan had plunged them into. The younger man looked to the farmer, trying to read his expression. It was nearly impossible, with the hard stare the older man wore.

“I’m not…entirely sure,” he said, poking at the handle of his cast aside spoon. “I just want to get as far from this area as possible. I don’t want to cause anyone else any more problems with my evading the Officers.”

“It doesn’t matter where you go, if the Officers are looking for you, anyone who sees you is probably in for a little bit of trouble.” Brian sighed, standing from the table and clearing his place. Rachel stood and wordlessly began helping, offering Dan whatever was left in each dish before moving to set it aside. Dan made a motion to help as well, but Rachel waved off his help with a smile, telling him he was free to head to sleep if he wanted.

The young man took her up on the offer and wished the couple a goodnight before heading back out to the barn and climbing the old ladder that let him up into the hayloft. Earlier in the day, Rachel had brought out blankets, making a point to ensure Dan had seen where she’d set them in the thick hay carpeting of the loft. The young man found them again, and carried them to the far corner of the loft, away from the wide ladder opening and closer to the large, open loft door that was letting pale moonlight in, illuminating the space.

Settling in, Dan couldn’t stop the farmer’s words from eating away at his thoughts. All he had wanted to do was help the rebels escape, to let them see another fight against the King, but this had quickly turned into something larger than he could have guessed; and it scared him more than he wanted it to. He’d never planned on running for the rest of his life, but neither could he make a stand and fight - he could barely throw a decent punch in a drunken brawl, much less actually try to defend himself in a real fight with a real weapon against soldiers with training. He scrubbed his hands over his face, trying to erase the thoughts out of his mind. He hoped Brian had an idea about where he could go in the morning. He would have guessed Waynesse, the trade city that rested on the border of the Elf lands, but since the farmer had sent the two Officers there as a diversion, he wasn’t sure where else to turn. As he slipped into uneasy sleep, a falcon screeched in the nearby woods, and the heavy sound of a closing door echoed behind it.

 

Dan woke up suddenly, sitting bolt upright. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but a small glow was climbing up from where the ladder was, Brian following close behind it.

“Are you up?” the farmer asked, reaching the lantern in his hand towards the younger man.

“Just now,” Dan answered quietly, running his fingers through his hair, catching a few stray bit of straw caught there.

“Hurry down. We need to cover some ground before the sun comes up.”

Brian waited as Dan made his way over, keeping the light between them to help him down the ladder. The air was cold, and even in the dim light Dan could see his breath escape his mouth in little clouds. The farmer stopped by the large door and set the lantern down to pick up a worn knapsack and a dark pile of cloth. As Dan came to stand next to him, he held the items out.

“Here, these are for you,” Brian passed the pile of cloth – a thick cloak – first, before pushing the bag into his arms and bending to pick up his lantern again. “There’s enough food for a few days in there, and some extra clothes. They might be a bit big on you, but Rachel seemed to think they’d do.”

Dan mumbled out thanks to the man and followed him as he left the barn, walking away from the road in a direction the stable hand couldn’t quite place in the dark. Dan wanted to ask where they were going, where he was leading him, but the older man seemed purposefully silent, and the quiet of the pre-dawn world seemed too still to interrupt with questions and worry. Dan tried to make note of the things they passed, but trees and structures were quickly fading away, giving way to rocky, uneven ground the further they moved from the farm.

The sun had crested the horizon when Brian came to a stop, extinguishing his lantern after they passed through a wild apple orchard. A large boulder sat at the far end of the orchard, marking a steep descent into rocky land that Dan guessed was the foothills he’d heard about.

“This is as far as I can take you.” Brian said, turning to look at Dan. “If you keep  walking this way, exactly this way, you should find a safe place.”

“How will I know if it’s safe?”

“It’ll be made clear to you whether it’s safe or not.” Brian said, a little laugh in his voice. “You’ll know it when you see it.” The man’s gaze dragged back out to the rocky landscape ahead of them, his focus on a point Dan couldn’t place. There was another long silence between them, as if neither man quite wanted to begin their respective journeys. Dan thought, however bitterly, that at least Brian’s would end at home. Dan wasn’t sure where his would take him. Somewhere in the distance a falcon screeched, and Dan wondered if it was the same one he’d heard last night.

“Well…thank you, Brian. For everything you’ve done for me. It’s more than I could have asked for.”

“It was nothing,” the grey-haired man answered, tearing his gaze away from the horizon to give one last look to the stable hand. “Have a safe journey, Dan. Maybe we’ll meet again someday.”

“I hope we do.” The men shook hands before Dan slid down the embankment and began walking in the direction Brian had indicated. His last few words replayed themselves in his mind, and suddenly Dan was reminded of the long-haired rebel’s words to him.

_‘Helping us isn’t really ‘nothing’… there’s no action without consequence.’_

Dan didn’t want to think his taking advantage of Brian and Rachel’s kindness would cost them, but he couldn’t quell the thoughts of the Officers waiting for the man at the farmhouse, dark grins on their faces, ready to make him answer for whatever crime they deemed he’d committed. He turned around to wish Brian safety, but the man had already disappeared back into the orchard. Dan licked his already dry lips and turned back to his path, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, putting as much distance between himself and everything he’d known as quickly as possible.


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan was promised somewhere safe, but he isn't sure if he'll really find it out in the foothills.

Dan walked for two days through the foothills, camping against giant boulders at night, ears tuned to every stray sound that he couldn’t identify. In the pack Brian and Rachel had given him, in addition to the food and clothes the man had mentioned, there was a full water skin and a tightly rolled blanket, as well as a small dagger that Dan wasn’t sure he could use well enough to even fight off an animal. He kept it close at hand anyway; the fact that it was an option was comfort enough.

By the morning of the third day, he was running dangerously low on food, and the water skin was empty. He hadn’t seen running water since the first day in the foothills, and he began to wonder if Brian had sent him to his death. The terrain had also become more difficult, requiring a fair amount of steep hiking, and he knew he couldn’t continue on much longer with the way things were going.

As midday approached, he scaled a boulder to check the horizon for any sign that would tell him he’d found safety, but settled for a thin line of pale white smoke coming from what seemed to be a sheltered outcropping of rock. He couldn’t see the source of the smoke, and seeing as he hadn’t come across any other travelers, he wondered idly if the owners of the flame were more likely to gut him than offer him aid. He slid down off the rock and decided he didn’t care. Taking his chances was better than letting himself starve or die of thirst among the rocks.

He clambered over another rise, his eyes focused hard on the smoke. Against the bright sky, it was nearly invisible, but he was able to keep sight of it long enough for it to lead him to the entrance of a small gully where a few tents were set up with a small number of men and women milling about. Most of the people seemed focused on the repair of some weapon or armor, but a few were talking with each other near the fire. Despite his relief at finding the source of the smoke, Dan was suddenly nervous to approach the encampment. He thought of turning away, but again he thought of the long-haired man and he decided that being brave and foolish was the better idea. It’d gotten him this far.

“Friends,” he called, lifting his hands has he approached the camp slowly. Most of the people looked up, but only one stood - a woman who wore a hooded cloak that shadowed most of her face - her hands also held open.

“Friend, come and share our camp. Hunters always have enough to go around.” The woman spoke in an accent that Dan scrambled to place. “Take my seat, there’ll be food ready soon.”

Dan didn’t turn down her offer, and settled himself onto the log that had been rolled next to fire, finding himself next to a man who was re-wrapping the grip on a bow with dampened leather. He didn’t look up at Dan, merely stayed focused on his work. The woman reappeared with a rough-hewn mug full of water, which Dan drank down greedily.

“Where’s your journey taking you, if I can ask?” the woman questioned while she stood on the other side of the fire, watching Dan as he finished the water.

“I’m not sure, yet. I’m just glad to find friendly souls out here.”

“There aren’t many friendly souls to be found these days. You must have some luck to you. But…not many aimlessly walk through these hills. I have to ask why you’ve come this way, friend.”

Dan shifted in his seat, unnerved by her question. He stalled, trying to think of something to tell her while she pulled a small knife from her belt, using it to pry a cut of meat off of the spit. She handed the utensil and the meat to Dan, who took it with subdued eagerness. She watched him with a pointed gaze, waiting for his answer. A few of the others passed by the spit, cutting themselves a piece of meat before moving away again, but staying within earshot of the fire, just on the edge of the man’s peripheral vision.

“A friend put me on this path.” Dan finally answered, taking a bite of the meat. He wasn’t sure how much he could say before he said too much. “I need to find a safe place.”

“Why’s that?” the woman asked, her gaze beginning to rattle Dan more than her questions.

“I was… I was in a dangerous situation. I needed to escape it, and I came this way to do that.”

The woman finally looked away, taking a few bites of her own food. Nothing else was said, and Dan wondered if he’d said too much. Somewhere overhead, a falcon cried out. Dan looked up, searching for the bird, but saw nothing. He finished his food quickly, handing the knife back to its owner. He reached into the pouch at his hip for coins, intending to pay for the hospitality the hunters had given him.

“It’s not much, but I want to thank you-“

“What’s that?” the woman asked, moving forward quick as a flash. She’d snatched the cloak pin from his hand. He grasped for it, but the woman had already moved out of his reach. A small grin blossomed on her face the longer she examined the item.

“It was a gift-“ Dan started, but the woman had already handed it back to him before he could get much further.

“You need to follow me.” The woman said, walking around the fire and towards the far end of the gully. For a moment Dan didn’t move, frozen in place by the abruptness of her command. “Come on, hurry up,” she demanded, and Dan knew he couldn’t stall anymore. He stood, coming face to face with a row of hunters, blocking him from running out of the gully. The stable hand swallowed hard and followed the hooded woman. She led him further into the gully, the passage becoming small and, if he hadn’t watched the woman traverse it before him, would have guessed it was impassible. He could hear a few people following behind him, little rocks slipping under their feet as they kept pace with them.

The woman finally came to a stop before a bend in the passage; the walls of the gully had steadily grown taller, and by now he couldn’t hope to reach the ledges of either side even if he made a grand reach for them. He looked up at them, and then back at her. She finally tossed back her hood, revealing a young looking woman with a round face and short, pale blonde hair. She readjusted her cloak and began to round the bend, motioning for Dan to follow.

“Stay close to me, it’s easy to get lost in the valley.”

“Valley? Lost? What are you-“

Dan’s question went unasked as he came around the curve and found a sea of tents and people in front of him, all set into a large, deep valley that was hidden by a sheer cliff face. Dan couldn’t guess how he hadn’t seen the place before. In half a moment, he guess that the hunter’s camp he’d found was just a front for the outfit tucked back behind the gully. The woman continued up through the tents that were set up in small groups, different banners adorning each tent according to their grouping. People didn’t look up from their work as they picked their way through the maze of tents, but Dan couldn’t stop looking at everything they passed. Somewhere in the valley, blacksmiths hammered metal, the sound echoing against the rock. Dan finally noticed they had begun walking up a small incline, and he looked up over the woman’s head to see a rough-built longhouse ahead of them, set on a small hill near the back of the valley. The closer they got to the building, the more spaced out the tents became, and the more permanent they seemed to be. The nickering of horses came from somewhere to Dan’s right, and he noticed a makeshift stable tucked off in an outcropping near a stream that seemed to appear from and disappear into rock.

The incline quickly turning into a steep hill that had rough stairs cut into it, the treads made of relatively flat stones cobbled together. The woman ascended the makeshift stairs that lead to the structure quickly, taking two at a time to reach the opening of the longhouse. It’s door was propped open with a large rock, and the smell of cooking food wafted out from inside.

Once inside, his guide pointed to a table near the central fire pit and bid him to sit down. He did as he was told, watching as she disappeared behind a thick wooden screen, low voices coming from somewhere behind it. It was then he noticed that no one had followed them up to the long house; it had been just him and the woman that entered.

A long moment passed and suddenly there was some movement from behind the screen. Footsteps announced that someone – probably the woman - was coming back, and she wasn’t returning alone. As predicted, the blonde emerged first, her face void of any emotion that would have lent Dan a hint as to what was going on. Heavier footsteps followed, then quieter, more careful ones.

“We can’t seem to get away from you,” said a familiar voice as its owner rounded the screen. Dan stood up, sending the bench he’d been sitting on backwards as the bearded knight from the inn appeared, followed by the elf woman.

“I didn’t think you’d make it all this way.” The elf said, folding her arms over her chest. Her tone made it sound as if she was pleasantly surprised to find she’d been wrong. Dan shrugged but wasn’t sure what to say. The two rebels came to join Dan at the table, sitting down with the woman that had led Dan through the valley sitting with them. He suddenly felt uneasy, even moreso than before.

“I suppose it’s only fair that we formally introduce ourselves to one another,” the elf said, leaning forward on the table. “You can call me Suzy, this is Barry, and the one who I imagine brought you up here is Holly.” Each one gestured in turn, and Dan returned their greeting, introducing himself in turn.

“I’m curious, Dan, how things went after you helped us escape,” Barry said, leaning back from the table to cross his arms. He gave the taller man an expectant look, as if he meant to judge what the stable hand would say.

“They realized you’d escaped not long after you’d gotten on the road. I didn’t have much choice in telling them I’d helped, and then I ran.”

“What do you mean, didn’t have much choice?” Suzy interrupted, her painted eyes narrowing at Dan.

“They threatened the safety of the Keeper’s son. I didn’t want anything to happen to him…so I confessed. They came after me, but as I said, I ran. I’m not sure how far it was that I went, but I found a farm, and the farmer there agreed to help me, and he ended up pointing me in this direction, towards the camp.”

“Brian had mentioned he wasn’t sure what else to do to keep you safe. He told us you were coming, and that you bore the Regent’s symbol. I guessed Arin had given you his, so Holly was set to watch for you.” Barry said, standing up. He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that threw Dan off completely.  The man’s blasé explanation created more questions than it answered.

“Speak of the devil,” Holly said, standing up as another person entered the longhouse. Dan turned and felt his heart beat in double time. The long-haired man strode in, the same grin he’d worn at the inn on his face as he approached the table. The grin flashed to a look of surprise when he saw Dan sitting with the others.

“I imagine you remember our savior, Arin? This is Dan, the stable hand.” Suzy said, resting her chin on a closed fist as her gaze passed between the two men. Arin sat next to Dan, the grin from before having returned to his lips.

“Of course I do, how could I forget? How did you find this place?”

“Brian, the farmer,” Dan managed to squeak out, his voice seeming to escape him. Luckily, Barry filled Arin in on the details he’d missed.

“After we made our break for it, the Officers figured it out. Somehow our friend here got to Brian’s and for some reason showed him the Regent’s Crest you gave him. The old man sent Holly’s falcon back to her a few nights back and told us to expect him, but I think that, again, Brian failed to fill our friend in on just what exactly he was getting him into.”

Dan finally found his voice and spoke again, though it was quieter and smaller than he hoped it would have been.

“What exactly _did_ Brian send me into? What did _I_ get myself into? I just wanted to get away from the Officers, to get away from being branded as a traitor.”

There was a long pause while the others looked at each other, as if unsure how to answer the question. Arin finally spoke, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“You didn’t just save three rebels from those Officers, Dan. I’m just the quartermaster, but those two,” he gestured towards Suzy and Barry. “They’re it. They’re the leaders; Nyerro Iinopir, or Suzy, since no one really knows how to speak Elven around here and Barry, First Knight of the Lost Prince. And you’re in The Valley… our headquarters. The Rebel Headquarters. If you were looking for a safe place, I suppose you’ve found it. But if you were looking for a place to escape whatever it is you started by helping us, well, you’ve come to the wrong valley.”


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There comes a point where you have to begin to define your actions, and Dan has found that point.

Dan stared at Arin for a long moment before the look shifted to Suzy and then Barry before it passed back to Arin. It was Holly that broke the silence first.

“That wasn’t what you were expecting, is it?”

“Not even remotely,” Dan muttered, feeling his body sink lower on the bench, if that was even possible. There was a tedious silence until Arin put a hand on Dan’s shoulder, his touch reassuring.

“Well, you might have come to the wrong valley, but you don’t have to stay here.”

“Arin’s right. Just tell us what you want to do, and we’ll do our best to help you.” Suzy said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. “We could consider ourselves even, then.”

Dan’s attention swung to the Elf as Arin’s hand slid from his shoulder. Now that he had the option sitting wide open in front of him, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He didn’t know where he could go that would be safe, and he knew he couldn’t go back to the Grumpy Troll. He opened his mouth to ask for their suggestion, but closed it an instant later.

He had wanted to get away from the Officers that had been pursuing him. He had wanted to find a safe place to start a new life, to finish his days in peace but was that really what he wanted? He’d helped the rebels at the Inn because he wanted to see them fight another day, but in all of his youthful daydreams and even the stray thoughts of more recent years he too wanted to fight against the King that made life hard for the Keeper and his family… for himself, in some trickle-down fashion he never bothered to think about. A few days ago he might have seen helping Arin and Suzy and Barry escape as enough of a fight, but now... now it wasn’t enough. Not even close.

“I want to stay here,” Dan said, his hands closing into fists on the table. His voice was still quiet, but it wasn’t small in the same was that it had been. There was resolution there that hadn’t been previously. “I don’t know how to fight, but I learn quickly, and I’m good with horses. I’ll be as useful as I can be-“

“Are you sure that’s really what you want to do?” Barry interrupted. He seemed unimpressed by Dan’s words, and watched him with a cold, hard stare. “You just told us moments ago that you wanted to be safely away from Officers, which would lead us to reason you want to be safely away from danger. Staying here isn’t the safe option.”

“I don’t know what I really want,” Dan admitted, not looking up at the knight. “But I think staying here and helping is closest to what I want, and I’m willing to try and find out.”

“It’s his life, Barry. Let him make his choices.” Suzy said, standing up. She turned and began walking back towards the hidden part of the longhouse. “If you want my opinion, I say let him stay.”

“He won’t be able to keep up in drill,” Barry started, still sitting at the table, his gaze turned away from Dan and focused on Arin instead. The long haired man didn’t seem affected by it at all.

“I’ll help him, he’ll catch up before long, and then he can attend regular drill with the others. Besides, Mark was telling me he needed more help in the stables, and he’ll be even more pleased with someone who knows what they’re doing.”

“If that’s what you want to do, Arin, I can’t tell you how to spend your free time.” Barry stood up from the table, his words now pointed at Dan. “And I can’t tell you what to do with your life. But Arin, I’m not going to be responsible when he takes a sword to the gut in his first fight.”

Holly, Arin and Dan watched in silence as Barry followed Suzy’s steps back beyond the wooden screen. Again, the woman was the first to break the silence that followed.

“I doubt you’ll take a sword to the gut in your first fight,” she offered, looking back at the stable hand over her shoulder. “Second or third is more likely.” In an instant she took was stand up and moving away from the table, striding out of the longhouse, presumably back to her post that she’d abandoned .

That left Dan and Arin alone at the table. Dan wanted to say something, thank Arin for defending him, for showing some sort of faith in him, but the right words never came to him. Instead, Arin spoke, his grin wide and easy.

“Holly has it wrong too. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t ever take a sword to the gut at all.” A beat passed. “You really are brave and foolish, aren’t you?  It wasn’t a fluke that night, was it?”

Dan snorted out a laugh and stood up from the table, uncomfortable with Arin’s attention solely on him. He couldn’t figure out how to act around him. “I don’t know, anymore. Maybe I’ll figure it out here.”

“Maybe you will. Come on, I’ll take you down to meet Mark. He’ll be happy to see you.” Arin finally stood, the last to leave the table, and made his way out of the longhouse. At the bottom of the steps, instead of continuing straight back through the sea of tents, he turned left, following a sparse path that led towards the stream and makeshift stable.

“So, Brian, that farmer, is he one of you or -?” Dan asked, taking an extra step to walk next to Arin.

“In a way. More than anything, he supplies us with fresh food, and sometimes sends prospects our way, if he thinks they’ll do us any good.”

“How did he tell you I was coming?”

“One of Holly’s falcons. She’s got a few trained to return to her once they’re given a certain cue, so we leave one with him, just in case he needs us to know something quickly.” Arin’s last answer brought them across a roughly built bridge that spanned the stream. Dan guessed it could only be a few feet deep at best, and as he’d guessed, it sourced from somewhere in the rocks behind the stable and disappeared into the ground a fair way down the valley. He jumped when Arin called out for Mark, leading the other man around to the entryway of the stable.

A short, dark-haired man appeared before them, a look of annoyance on his face until he saw Dan standing behind Arin; then his annoyance bloomed into a smile as he rested his hands loosely on his hips.

“What’s this? Is he for Horse Company?” he had a deep voice that seemed to echo in their corner of the valley and Arin nodded, stepping aside to let Dan forward.

“This is Dan. Dan, this is Mark, our Stable Master.”

“It’s good to have you. You know much about the beasts?”

“I’ve worked in a stable most of my life so-“

“So you know what you’re doing! Even better,” Mark beamed at Dan before turning to head back into the stable. The curly-haired man realized Mark had the same faint, unplaceable accent that Holly had. He followed the stable master inside, Arin following both of them. The stables here were much larger than the ones at the inn, but many of the stalls were empty.

“You’ll want this,” Mark said, tossing a heavy roll of waxy canvas at Dan. The thin man caught it with some effort, and gave Mark a confused look. Arin caught it before the black-haired man did.

“It’s your new home. He’ll show you where Horse Company sets their tents. Speaking of the company, Mark, Dan here won’t be able to join drill for awhile, so don’t try and force him to go just yet.”

“Can’t swing a blade yet?” Mark asked, his voice sharp and with a laugh behind it. Dan flushed and shook his head. Mark let a laugh loose and came to stand before them again. “Hell of a thing then, joining an army.”

“I learn fast,” Dan mumbled, shifting the rolled up tent in his arms.

“I’ll get him up to speed in no time.”Arin said, folding his arms over his chest. “I have a good feeling about him.”

Mark nodded agreeably and motioned for the men ahead of him to leave the stables as he followed. Once back outside, Arin parted from the two men with a promise to Dan that he’d find him in the morning for their first lesson. Dan and Mark watched Arin head back across the stream before the shorter man refocused himself.

“Right well, I’m glad you know what you’re doing with the horses, because I’m short help enough as it is, and it’s worse when you have to teach ‘em what to do. You can count on stable duty being your sole responsibility.”

“I can handle that,” Dan said, looking back at the stable.

“Good. Now, let’s get you set up with the others. I’ll introduce you to Jack. He’s my second. If you ever can’t find me and you need something, he’s your man.” Mark started towards a stand of tents a fair jaunt away from the stables, but separated from the sea of tents by the stream. Already Dan could hear chatter rising from within it. “The others are all pretty friendly, but you honestly won’t see much of ‘em until you start going to drill. Horse Company, with no shame in it, is the menial job task force of Barry and Suzy’s little operation.”

“How many other companies are there?” Dan asked, his gaze flickering to the sea of tents he’d walked through earlier.

“Besides Horse? There’s five: Sword, Pike, Arrow, Wagon, and Anvil. Everyone in every company can fight to some degree, but Pike, Sword and Arrow are the ones that get specific training for it. Anvil is Arin’s, completely. Wagon deals with everything everyone else doesn’t. Food, healers, supplies that aren’t weapons or armor; that’s their realm.”

Dan nodded and fell in behind Mark as they reached the tents, following in single file towards the center of their circling where a fire was stoked and a handful of people sat around it.

“Ay, Mark! Come to fraternize with the troops?” a slight man stood up from where he’d been sitting, a wide eager smile on his face. Again, with an accent that Dan couldn’t place. This one was stronger and different than Mark’s and Holly’s.

“Never. I brought you a new compatriot. This is Dan, Jack. He’s going to help me in the stables, since he’s already good at that. Don’t count him for drill quite yet either. Quartermaster’s gonna catch him up first.” Mark’s tone was quick and to the point, and Jack listened to him intently, taking it all in. He glanced at Dan as his commander spoke, but didn’t say anything until Mark had finished.

“We can handle that. Welcome to the fold, Dan.”

“Get him set up, get him fed.” Mark said, his voice pointed but not unkind. Jack nodded and the black-haired man turned to Dan. “Once that’s taken care of come find me up at the stables and we can get to work.”

Dan nodded and with that Mark was gone, striding back up the valley to the stable.

“Here, you can set your tent up over here, there’s some space yet. We don’t move around much here. We’ve been camped in this valley for a few months now, you’d think they’d start letting us build permanent shelters like the longhouse.”

Jack helped Dan with his tent, chattering away the entire time. A few other helped when needed, introducing themselves casually to Dan, inviting him to sit with them once the canvas shelter was anchored down and Dan’s knapsack was set inside.

“So, where you from, then?” Jack asked as a woman handed Dan a bowl of what he guessed was stew. The bread that she handed him soon after was hard, but a swim in the broth solved that problem for him.

“From the south west, I worked at an inn called the Grumpy Troll, just outside of Lenti.”

“Never heard of it. Though, that isn’t saying much for me.” Jack said as the others laughed, agreeing with him. “I’m from one of the Southern Kingdoms. Worked on a trade ship; good, honest work for a good captain. Used to run a course from our home port to New Kel to Carnellian and back to New Kel before heading home.” The laughter died off quickly, and Jack’s smiled faded off his face.

“What happened, that you’re here now then?” Dan asked, taking a tentative bite of his bread. “You’re a long way from New Kel.”

 Jack shrugged, rolling his shoulders back. “King’s Officers arrested my Captain last we were in port, saying he conspired against Jon’s rule. They quarantined the ship, kicked us all off. Captain tried to keep us all from getting arrested too by telling ‘em it was all his idea.”

“All what was his idea?”

“Taking political refugees out of Carnellian and bringing them to New Kel. It’s easier and safer to get to Maeliro, up in Elf territory, from there rather than going down the river from Carnellian. We had a family on board when they arrested the Captain. The crew knew, of course. We fought to get them off that boat, seemed like every Officer in the port tried to stop us. They killed the Captain when they realized we were going to escape. Me and a few others went the whole way to Waynesse and then Maeliro with ‘em. That’s where I met Mark and the others and joined up. I’m stuck here anyway, why not fight against a king that kills good men for no reason until I can get home?”

Dan rubbed at the lip of the bowl, unable to lift his gaze to Jack’s. The whispers in the Inn had never painted as brutal a picture as the one the man had just laid out for him. He looked up and the others around the firm seemed grim. He wondered how many had similar tales of wrongdoing that pushed them to rebels.

“What made you join up?” Jack asked. Dan suddenly felt like any reason he offered would be inadequate. He joined because he’d tried to run from what he started. He joined because he wasn’t satisfied with just an escape plan. He joined because every time he thought of the inn, the Keeper’s fear stricken face and the look of terror in his son’s eyes haunted him relentlessly. Dan shrugged, finally setting the bowl aside.

“I joined up because I was tired of being complacent and afraid. I want things to change.”

Another smile broke out over Jack’s face replacing the darkness that had come over it when he spoke of his Captain.

“You’ll fit in just fine here, Dan. Welcome to the rebellion.”


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan finds familiar work, and does some unfamiliar learning.

Dan finished eating and, as asked, made his way back to the stable. He breathed in deep, glad for the familiar smell of horses and tack that he hadn’t even realized he missed. Even mixed with the unfamiliar smells of the camp and the setting that was completely alien to him, Dan felt a peacefulness he hadn’t had since he’d left the Inn.

He found Mark easily; the man was sitting just inside the large doors of the barn with a tall, dark horse tethered up to the stalls on either side of the main aisle. He was perched on a short stool as he picked at the giant beast’s hoof. He looked up when Dan rounded the corner, smiling before turning his attention back to his work.

“I see you found your way back. Can I have you oil that tack over there? You can set up right outside the door. Work is easier with company,” the stable master said, motioning with his head to the bridles that were hung on pegs on the wall behind him. Dan nodded, stepping inside to gather his work before going back out, setting an armful of bridles and leads on the ground in front of him, and settling into his work quickly. He was thankful for the familiar tasks; up until now, nothing seemed quite right to him, but this was something his muscles knew, something his hands could work on without command. It was comforting, in a way.

“So you can’t swing a blade but you wanted to join the Prince’s cause, huh?” Mark asked, his focus pinpointed on the hoof in his lap. The horse snorted in what might have been discomfort, but its body didn’t shift at all.

“I didn’t plan on joining an army,” Dan said, disassembling the harness in his hands. “I didn’t think helping people escape from the King’s men would lead to that. It’s the last thing I thought I’d be doing.”

“What did you really think it would get you?” Mark asked, setting the hoof down gently before moving the stool he had been perched on to the other side of the horse. He situated himself and gave the horse a gentle pat on its rump before lifting its other hoof.

Dan shrugged, lifting the lid off of the small pail of oil and dipping the rag he’d found next to it in the stuff. He began working it into the leather, still not sure how to answer Mark. Being honest, he supposed he didn’t have an answer, outside of ‘not signed up for a war’. Then again, maybe he did. He’d wanted the satisfaction of knowing he’d done something to subvert the Officers, and the King, in a small, unnoticeable way. That was the trick of it - unnoticeable. He’d wanted the satisfaction without the risk. He shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. Mark must have noticed, or didn’t care enough to hear an actual answer, because he cleared his throat and moved on, his tone softer now by half a shade.

“You never really get what you expect anyway, these days. Too much unrest, too much anger, too much fear. What matters more is what you do with what you get, and making sure you don’t waste an opportunity.”

Silence took it’s turn and the two men let themselves focus on their work. Mark occasionally hit a sore spot in the horse’s hoof and it nickered angrily, but it remained still. Dan lost track of time with the steady rhythm of taking tack apart, oiling and reassembling. He was pulled back from his self-induced hypnosis when he heard Mark whistling a song as he led the horse out of the barn, letting it loose in the small fenced area around the corner. When the shorter man returned, Dan stood, gathering the set of bridles he’d finished.

“How did you end up in this valley?” the slim man asked, breaking their silence as he moved into the barn.

Mark gave him a thoughtful look before speaking, heading inside to bring another horse out.

“I left my people about a year and a half back, after the rebels had started gaining some ground and Jon decided they were enough of a threat to do something about it.” Mark lead out a grey mare that Dan recognized as Suzy’s. She stared him down the same way she had at the Inn, snorting once. “They sent Officers that called themselves diplomats to the High Chief, and he called all of the tribes in to listen to them, but they were just browbeaters, intimidators.”

“High Chief?” Dan asked, exchanging his finished work for new.

“I’m Solimeic, you’ve heard of us, right? A nation of tribes?”

Dan nodded. He’d heard of the nomads that lived in the Grasslands in the southeast, but he’d never met one. All of the stories the travelers had told at the Inn didn’t match the man in front of him. Mark glanced at Dan and returned the nod as he finished tying the grey mare up, moving around her to start his work on her hooves.

“It was a massive ordeal. Calling everyone in is hard enough, but there was a lot of resistance, when some found out why they were being called. They must have known what was going to happen. The ‘diplomats’ told us that if we tried to support the rebels, the King would consider it a declaration of war and send troops. War was the last thing the people needed, but some of us felt that doing nothing was a worse fate. We renounced our tribes and left. Holly and I left the same tribe. I was bound to follower her anyway, but she had met Barry before, so she offered to lead all of us here. That’s the story.”

“So the others, your tribes, don’t support the rebels at all?” Dan asked, sitting back down in his spot. His work was set aside though, his attention devoted to Mark and his story.

“Some do. Most do, I’d guess.  But they can’t say so, and they never would. We couldn’t until we separated ourselves from them. Solimeics wouldn’t stand a chance against a full on war with the King. We had to protect our people. Now, if we lose, it’s not their fault and hopefully they’ll be left alone.”

“What’ll happen if we win, though? If you get to go home?”

“Our home isn’t there anymore. Once you leave your tribe and forego Grass Mother and Wind Father…that’s not something you can just have back.”

Dan stared down at the tack around him, processing Mark’s words. It seemed that the common thread between everyone he’d met that day was undue hardship given to them by King Jon. Absently, he grabbed for a bridle and began taking it apart, his hands slow and suddenly heavy.

“What’ll you do, then?” Dan asked, quietly. Mark paused his work and looked over at Dan, a smile on his face.

“Make a new home, find a new tribe. I may have lost my family in the Grasslands, but that doesn’t keep me from finding a new one, or any of the others from doing the same. If I don’t have that to look forward to, Jon might as well have already won.”

“Mark! Barry an’ Suzy have asked for you at the hall.” Jack’s voice was a harsh interruption, and he seemed to appear out of nowhere, nearly out of breath. The Stable Master stood up and followed his second without a word, leaving Dan at the mouth of the barn to continue his work. He watched as the pair crossed the stream and disappeared towards the building before he let his gaze wander over the rest of the valley. The sea of tents seemed unremarkable and calm in the late afternoon light, but there was something roiling under the façade that he was beginning to see, but still couldn’t name. He returned to his work, humming the tune Mark had been whistling, the notes echoing in the barn and out into the valley.

 

 

The next morning, Dan was awoken by a hand on his shoulder, and Arin’s figure hovering over him. He was up with a start, and the quartermaster muffled a laugh at his expense.

“You ready to start playing catch up?” he asked before exiting the tent, leaving Dan to dress himself in private. It only took the stable hand half a minute to be dressed and outside, standing in the cool, foggy pre-dawn light. Arin stood a short distance away, tying his hair back with a length of cloth before he motioned for Dan to follow. He walked them a fair ways down the stream, nearly out of sight of the tents. Arin stopped where the stream disappeared into the ground, tumbling down an underground waterfall.

“Have you ever held a sword before?” Arin asked, tossing a sheathed sword to the other man. He caught it clumsily, surprised by its weight.

“No, not… not seriously.” Dan muttered, pulling the weapon from its sheath. It was a simply crafted thing, but heavier than he expected it to be.

“Alright, well then I suppose we’re starting there.” Arin said, a laugh playing behind his words. “Hold it in your strong hand, like this.” He demonstrated the hold, waiting for Dan to imitate it. Once he was pleased enough, he moved into a stance Dan instantly recognized as a fighting one. He’d seen plenty of drunks make the same pose once challenged to a fistfight.

“What’s really important to remember is ‘keep yourself moving’. Don’t let ‘em catch you flat-footed. You won’t have a shield yet so there’s no reason to brace yourself, unless you plan on trying to stick your blade in your opponent’s skull, which I advise against.” Arin took a few smooth, bouncing steps around Dan, demonstrating what he meant. Dan watched him intently, focused on not missing a word. He set himself up, matching Arin’s body as best as he could. The sword felt awkward in his hand, and the stance seemed contrived, but after a few moments Arin seemed pleased with what he saw.

“Good, that’s right, now try to circle around me, but make sure you keep your balance. Don’t rest all your weight-ah, there, don’t do that.” Arin said, pointing his sword at Dan’s foot where he’d made a misstep. “Try it again.”

 

The sun had finally peeked over the edge of the valley by the time Arin declared their first training session complete. Dan was exhausted, his shoulders tense from holding the sword up, his legs tight from the semi-crouched position he’d been made to hold while Arin explained why keeping low was critical in a fight.

“For not having any experience with a blade, you catch on quickly,” Arin said, picking up Dan’s scabbard and tossing it to him. The slim man sheathed his sword and held it in two hands, offering it back to Arin. The longer-haired man shook his head.

“No, you keep it. You’ll need one anyway, once we get right to it.” Dan nodded and took it in one hand, letting his arms fall to his sides. The sun was beginning to reveal a clear sky, as blue began to creep out above them.

“When did you start training?” Dan asked, glancing over to Arin.

“When I was a child. A Knight taught me the basics, but I had Elf training for the more detailed things.”

“You must have grown up in one of the big cities.”

“Essentially.” From somewhere else in the valley, a bell rang once, twice, three times before Arin could elaborate. Instead of expanding on the conversation, he turned to the other man and grinned. “That’s breakfast. You’ll want to eat before you find Mark.”

Dan nodded and began to follow Arin back up towards the Horse Company tents, but they were greeted by Jack and the others, carrying a kettle between them along with a few baskets before they could even get through them.

“Arin, sir, good morning.” Jack said, offering a half-salute, the gesture stunted by a basket of bread in his arms. “Dan! We brought the food over, come and sit!” In the slight chaos of Jack and the others setting their breakfast rations down at the dying embers of their fire, Dan lost sight of Arin. He’d meant to thank him, but he’d disappeared. Resolving to find him later, he sat with the others, one of the women filling him in on what had happened at drill that morning, not sparing any detail of how Jack embarrassed himself, her tone implying the unspoken ‘yet again’.  Between laughs at her story, Dan glanced up towards the long house. A figure he was sure was Arin was standing at the door and while he couldn’t know for sure, he could feel the quartermaster’s eyes on him. Dan shivered, and then started when Jack nudged him with a plate of food. He took it, thanking the man. When Dan looked up towards the long house again, Arin was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, i created a lil space to host extras and other doo-dads related to this verse. for the time being, the [most useful thing there is a map.](https://althanar.dreamwidth.org)


	8. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going well, for the most part, but sometimes Dan can't shake what he left behind.

Weeks passed in a blur for Dan. Much like his previous life, there was never a moment where something couldn’t be worked on, or an animal didn’t need attention. He only needed a few early morning sessions with Arin before the quartermaster declared he’d be able to get by in drill with the others, and their meetings became less and less frequent as the days wore on. It had been inevitable that the lessons would cease, but Dan was surprised by his disappointment at their end. Arin was a good teacher; patient and thorough and his company was different than the others, quieter and more focused. Despite the fact that just closeness to the other man made Dan’s skin prickle and flare with heat, the quartermaster’s presence was comfortable and somehow invigorating. 

However, his disappointment at the sudden loss of Arin in his daily routine was a short distraction. Dan found himself with plenty to do, the days becoming rapid fire, leaving him too exhausted to think once his head found its way to his sleep roll. Which, in the grand scheme, Dan was thankful for. Thinking led to worry, worry was distracting, and distraction was the enemy of focus. The words of a particularly strict Sword Company leader echoed in his head whenever his mind threatened to sneak back to the Inn and Brian and his family, or to Arin and the early morning lessons. It was the worst at meal times when he was with the others. It was too easy to be reminded of the Keeper and his son or the sound of the serving girl’s laughter on rare slow nights when a bard passed through, or the smell of the stew Rachel had made the night he ate with her family.

The stories that his comrades told didn’t help him much either; every tale of families being torn apart, of livelihoods being burned to the ground, of the pain that the Officers dispensed on the people of Althanar planted seeds in the back of his mind that grew into briars that wouldn’t let him sleep: what happened to the Inn that used to be his home? To the Keeper and his family that had been nothing but kind to him? If the Officers and soldiers could commit such atrocities to others for no reason, what would they do to those they felt had wronged them?

One such night found him a month and a few days after his arrival in the valley. Dinner was long finished, and the rest of Horse Company had settled into their tents, gentle sounds of sleep escaping the little sea of canvas. Dan was still awake, unable to slow his mind. They’d been telling their stories, as they sometimes did around the evening fires, and a woman spoke up, sharing a story that made even Jack’s skin crawl, regaling them with the end the woman’s family had met at the hands of the King’s men. It had left an itch at the back of Dan’s mind, and even now, with the moon hanging high over the valley, sleep escaped him while his thoughts ran wild.

He slipped out of his tent, moving slowly to let his eyes adjust to the dark as he moved toward the stable, hoping work or the presence of the beasts would help clear his mind and let him get some sleep. Even with only the scant white moonlight, the trek to the stable had become familiar, and Dan moved with sure steps towards the dark building. He slipped inside, finding a lantern and lighting the wick to wash the interior stalls in a honeyed golden glow.

Mark was nowhere to be found in the building, which didn’t surprise Dan. He had a room in the longhouse along with Arin and Holly and the others, and once the evening chores were done, he was hard-pressed to be found with the horses. If he was being honest with himself, Dan was thankful for the solitude. He wandered through the barn, the stalls mostly empty except for a few animals that needed to be kept apart, including a heavily pregnant mare that Mark was convinced would drop her foal at any moment and an old horse that was sick beyond Mark’s ability to help. Dan patted both animals, muttering kind words to them as he passed. The light of the lantern fell on the large doors on the other end of the stables which were half open to the enclosed field where the rest of the horses were being kept.

Slipping outside, Dan moved along the fence, finding a small hook to set the lantern. He turned the wick up, casting the light a bit farther into the small enclosure, revealing the location of the horses as they stood together, grazing at the far end of the pasture. The thin man leaned against the fence, watching the animals and their small movements, the sounds of the valley muted in his corner of the world. One of the younger horses noticed him and came over, expecting a treat. He nosed into Dan’s chest and the man smiled, pushing the beast’s head back a bit, quietly apologizing for the lack of apples. The horse’s ears pricked up and it’s attention was suddenly focused on something behind Dan. After half a moment the horse relaxed and resumed grazing.

“Are you alright?” a familiar voice asked from behind him, gentle and quiet so as not to startling the other man or the animal near him. Dan looked over his shoulder to see Arin lean on the opposite side of the fence, his eyes taking in the nearby horse and then tracking to find the rest of the herd before coming back to study the stable hand’s face. “It’s well past midnight.”

“I couldn’t sleep. Too much in my head to sort through.”

“Did you try giving up on sorting it out? Starting fresh when there’s light in the sky?”

“If it was that easy, I wouldn’t be standing in the paddock with the horses.” Dan laughed, folding his arms over his chest. “Why are you out so late? Did you need something?”

“Nothing, I just…” Arin trailed off, dipping his head to run a hand through his loose hair. “I was on my way to speak to a commander and I happened to see you. I thought I’d see if you- if things were alright.”

Dan smiled but didn’t say anything, just kept his gaze focused on the horses. One of the whinnied, a few others followed suit. The horse that had come over looked back to his compatriots, finally taking slow steps back to them. He wanted to tell the other man that he was glad that he stopped to talk to him, that he had begun to miss their training sessions and the easy way they had with each other.

“Are things alright?” Arin asked, his voice still quiet, softer than Dan knew him to sound. His gaze was far off, his hands held together loosely. Dan looked at him, but the Quartermaster didn’t return the look. He wasn’t sure how to answer. Certainly things were alright; he was alive, he was safe, he felt well, he got along with his company-mates… but always at the back of his mind was the inn. The Keeper and his son and his wife and what happened to them because their stable hand helped three Rebels escape Officers. And Brian and Rachel and their child; he knew that they were working with the Rebels – how long until the King’s men found out too?

“I’m worried about the Inn, and it’s Keeper and his family. They’re like family, and I don’t know what happened to them after I left and-“

“The not knowing is eating at you? I understand that.” Arin nodded, finally looking up at Dan. “I can send Holly and Ross to check on them. They were going to pick up supplies from Brian tomorrow anyway.” Arin hesitated a moment. “But… you have to be prepared for the worst news. You know how Officers can react to things that don’t agree with them.”

“I’d rather know for certain than keep myself awake for the rest of my life wondering.”

Arin stood up and placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder. Without another word he left, walking back up the hill towards the longhouse. Dan watched him leave, the worry knotted in his brain slipping down to his gut. It wasn’t much of an improvement, but it would let him sleep. He picked his lantern back up from it’s hook and left the way he came, slipping through camp like a shadow, sleep finding him as soon as he doused the light.


	9. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's never as simple as receiving good news; there are two sides to every coin.

The knot that had moved from Dan’s brain to his stomach was still there when he woke up. Sunlight was already streaming through the flap of his tent, and sudden panic rose in his throat. Drill would be long over by now, meaning he’d overslept. He scrambled out of his tent but stopped short. The camp was quiet, and judging from the height of the sun, everyone was working on their tasks for the day. Cursing himself under his breath he went straight to the stables, praying Mark wouldn’t be too upset with him.

He found the stable master cleaning out a stall when he rounded the corner into the barn, and the shorter man looked up at him with surprise.

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Mark said, leaning on his shovel. “Jack came up this morning and said you weren’t feeling well.”

“Oh…well, I wasn’t but I’m doing better now. What do you need me to do?” Dan asked, rolling the sleeves on his shirt up. Mark shrugged before returning to his work.

“Most of the work is done for today, a few other members of the company came up and filled in for you. Why don’t you go and find something to eat?  I’m going to guess you haven’t eaten yet. Wagon Company can probably toss something your way.”

Dan nodded and turned out of the barn, heading across the stream to find the main shelter that was the home base for Wagon Company. He made a mental note to thank Jack for covering for him, wondering if he’d tried to wake him up in time for drill. He grinned, thinking about Jack trying to wake him up and then giving up when it was obviously a lost cause.

The pavilion that housed Wagon Company was nearly in the center of the valley, the very center of the structure home to a low fire pit cooking the large kettles that were distributed to each company every morning and evening. A tall, thickly built woman was pointed out as the one in charge, and a few words exchanged between her and Dan resulted in him procuring some bread leftover from breakfast and a chunk of cheese the woman handed over because, in her words, he needed it more than anyone else in the damn valley.

Food in hand, Dan moved away from the bustle of the sea of canvas, deciding to keep himself as out of the way as possible. Without meaning to, he found himself walking through the pass that led out of the valley, the same path he’d taken to enter it weeks ago. It felt strange to walk through the narrow gully – almost as if he shouldn’t, like some spell would break if he left. But when he slipped out and found a few of the rebels he’d mistaken for hunters still around their fire, he didn’t feel much of anything. One or two acknowledged him, but they didn’t speak much, and didn’t ask questions as to why he was there. Most of them had their gazes fixed on the horizon to the southeast, bodies tense and eyes unblinking.

“What’s wrong?” he asked one of the men watching the horizon. His face held the most emotion of any of them; worry laced his features, and he seemed genuinely surprised to see Dan standing there.

“Holly sent a bird back. There…something happened. We aren’t sure what, but they’re coming back and we need to make sure they aren’t being followed.”

Dan’s heart did a flip, and while part of him wanted to run back into the valley and hide from whatever it was that was coming towards them, he also wanted to stay where he was and meet Holly when she came in, ask her himself what she saw at the Inn. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of what had happened involving the Keeper or his family or Brian or Rachel. Time seemed to crawl on but finally, finally someone pointed a group of figures moving towards them, and a handful of the rebels ran out to meet them, helping to move them in faster.

As they got closer, Dan realized that the rebels who had run out to meet them were pulling a cart full of supplies, and Holly and a serious looking man were walking behind, both of them talking to Brian and Rachel, who looked exhausted. It was impossible to not notice the soot on their clothes and faces. Rachel clung desperately to a bundle that had begun to whine and cry.

“It won’t take them long to figure out where we went, there’s only so many options.” Brian said, his voice quiet and tired as he spoke to the serious-looking man. Dan guessed he was the Ross that Arin had mentioned last night. “It’s lucky you two got there when you did. This all could have been a lot worse.”

“Not by much,” Holly muttered, her long strides putting her a little ahead of the others. She stopped short when she noticed Dan standing with the others. “Dan, what are you doing out here?”

“I’d heard you’d found your way here alright, I’m glad to see you stuck with them.” Brian said, also noticing Dan. Rachel offered him a little wave which Dan returned. He shrugged at Holly, not able to explain why he was out of the valley.

“I was curious about what you guys found at the Inn.” The thin man said, answering Holly’s question. The woman motioned for him to follow as she led the procession back into the valley after the supply cart. She didn’t speak another word, nor did Brian or Rachel or Ross until they were in the longhouse and Suzy and Barry were sitting at the table in the main area watching them come in with worry etched on their faces.

“What happened?” Barry asked, looking between Holly and Ross. The two glanced at each other before Holly spoke.

“We collected the supplies from the farm and left the wagon and the horse there while Ross and I went towards the Inn, to get in range to do the transfer spell. Things were going well; we started the spell and the bird and I were doing fine. Turns out the Inn is completely overrun with soldiers. They cleared a lot of the trees away to make room for a camp. I was able to catch a glimpse of the Keeper and his family. They looked alright, but they’re overworked and tired. I imagine the Officers forced them into giving them the space, took away their livelihood, but they’re alive.”

Dan felt himself relax and a hand was on his shoulder. He turned in time to see Arin slide past him, a quick glance passing between them, Arin slipping him a reassuring smile before he took his hand off the taller man’s shoulder. Dan couldn’t help but return it, the knot in his gut melting away.

“What happened then? Arin asked, moving further into the space to sit across from Barry and Suzy.

“They must have mages with them, or some sort of charm on the place that can detect magic because suddenly Holly wakes up with a start, and tells me the hawk pushed her out when they started trying to bring it down.” Ross added, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s never come out of the spell like that. They knew we were there, they had to have. We ran back to the farm and…”

“Not long before Ross and Holly came back, some of the King’s soldiers came out of the woods. They torched the field and the barn and killed the horse on the wagon before I could shield it.” Brian said, finally sounding as tired as he looked. “Luckily Rachel was able to get Audrey out of the house before they decided to bring that down too.”

“Between Ross and myself, we were able to take out a few of the soldiers, but most had run off, back towards their new headquarters.” Holly shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking uneasy.

“We managed to cloak ourselves and pull the cart back, but they know something. Maybe too many somethings.” Ross said, his stern face glancing to Brian as if looking for support. The older man nodded slowly.

“I’m beginning to believe that’s the case. I have some more light to shed on this, once I can get Rachel and Audrey somewhere to get some sleep, and maybe something to eat.”

“Here, I’ve got a place for you,” Suzy said, standing from the table to lead the little family from the main room. Holly and Ross quickly made themselves scarce, leaving Barry, Arin and Dan in the main room in a heavy silence.

“At least there’s some hopeful news from all of this,” Arin said, running a hand through his hair. Barry nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving the middle distance until he stood from the table, offering a small parting to Dan before excusing himself from the room.

“What’s going to happen now?” Dan asked, picking at the hem of his sleeve. He wanted to be happy that the Keeper was a live, that his family hadn’t been taken from him, but a new worry had nestled in his stomach. Arin’s sudden silence didn’t help it.

“I don’t know. At this point, there’s no way to know.” Half a beat passed before Arin turned to grin up at Dan, as if his sudden change in disposition was completely normal. “But it’ll be alright. Why don’t you head back to Horse Company. It’s got to be getting close to meal time. They’ll miss you if you aren’t there.”

Dan nodded and turned to leave, glad to be out of the longhouse. The news he’d overheard from Holly and Ross and Brian was heavy and dark and somehow it cast a shadow over everyone’s mood. For half a moment, Dan wondered if Arin and the others did know what was going to happen, and just didn’t want to say.

 

Dan made his way back to his Company at double his usual pace, making it in time to see Jack and the others carrying the dinner kettle over the stream. He slid onto a log next to the former sailor as he handed a ladle to another member of the Company.

“Thanks for covering for me this morning,” Dan muttered, taking the plate that a woman handed to him.

“Don’t mention it,” Jack returned quietly, holding his own dish out to have stew dropped into it. “I tried to wake you but it wasn’t any use. I figured you needed the rest more than you needed to get whacked in the ribs at drill. I’m just glad to see you aren’t really sick.”

Dan held out his own dish as someone plopped a few spoonfuls of stew onto it. He ate mostly in silence listening to the stories of what he missed in drill that morning, smiling and laughing despite the new worry resting at the back of his mind. He helped clear the dishes away and carried the kettle back over to Wagon Company’s pavilion with a few others, but somehow he felt disconnected from them. He thought several times about telling them what he’d heard in the longhouse, but what good would speculation do? He didn’t want to stir up panic, but being prepared would more helpful than anything else, if they had to fight.

The thought sent a shiver through Dan’s body. Drill and practice were easy. You took weak blows from your partner, dispensing the same weak blows to them, learning the best way to move your body to dodge a sword as you take a swing of your own. Would concepts explained and practiced without force be enough when another human was standing in front of him, sword raised over his head, ready to strike? He returned to his tent and his bedroll, trying to push his nagging thoughts away. As he slowly drifted to sleep, he prayed for dreamlessness and good news come daylight.


	10. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes, your gut feeling is one hundred percent correct, and you should have listened to it all along.

_Dan staggered through a field, smoke and noise disorienting him as he moved; his sword heavy in his hand, his armor pressing down on his shoulders. There was a sharp, bitter taste in his mouth, and sweat dripped into his eyes. He could hear screams around him, but he couldn’t tell who they belonged to. He tried to call out for anyone, but his voice seemed to go silent as it slid up his throat. He could feel a shadow pass over him, and he turned to see the tall form of a warrior, their own blade raised high over his head. Dan lifted his sword to block, but the blade was falling too quick. He wanted to scream, but no sound escaped him, just as the blade broke through his own, crashing towards his skull…_

The man awoke with a start, shivering in his bedroll. It was still dark, the sun not even beginning to crest over the side of the valley. Dan scrubbed his hands over his face, trying to slow his heart as the dream began to slip away from him, all but the feeling of the blade plummeting towards head. He crawled out of his tent, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. The camp was quiet, but somewhere in the near distance was the sound of swords clashing together. It seemed unusual, and the sight of a small, faint fire at the clearing where he and Arin had always met for Dan’s earlier training piqued his curiosity enough that he moved through the dark, getting closer and closer to the small ring of light.

He stopped just shy of the light, surprised to see Barry and Arin circling each other in fighter’s stances, their gazes unwavering. Barry broke first, stepping forward into a thrust that was more graceful than anything Dan had ever seen, and Arin responded in kind, beginning their sparring match. Dan watched, his eyes widening as they went on. The two men looked less and less like warriors training with one another, and more like dancers bobbing and weaving in and out of each other’s embrace. He must have watched them for ten minutes before Barry finally took a misstep, and the pair came to a complete standstill: Barry’s head tipped back, neck exposed with the tip of Arin’s sword hovering just above the skin there. The taller of the two men relaxed first, dropping his weapon away from the commander’s neck. It was then that Barry noticed Dan, hanging shyly at the edge of the firelight.

“We have an audience,” he said, sheathing his own blade before bending to pick up a few cast aside items. Dan started, taking a step back.

“I’m sorry, I’ll go, I-“

“It’s alright, Dan. I have some business to attend to. ” The commander said, walking past the thin man. “He’s all yours.”

Barry disappeared into the darkness, leaving Arin and Dan alone in the clearing. Arin watched the other man leave for a moment, moving to pick up his own discarded items when he could no longer discern his shape among the shadows.

“What has you up so early?” Arin asked, his voice betraying what Dan interpreted as fatigue.

“I, uh, just a strange dream. And then I heard you two sparring and came to see who it was.”

“Sorry to drag you from your bed,” Arin said, sounding sincere as he sat in the dirt at the edge of the light. “I seem to be good at dragging you into things.”

“No, it’s not your fault. I’m the one who decided I had to know who was trying to kill each other before the sun was even up.” Dan offered, mimicking his superior and sitting in the dry dirt. The sky had begun to lighten, and Dan looked out over the sea of canvas. There was subtle motion in different parts of the camp, and it seemed to move in a wave, Dan frowned and looked up towards his own part of the camp. There was movement there too, and gradually the sound of a bell clattering a steady rhythm pervaded the valley. The movement in the camp became more pronounced, and shouts began to pass from one point to another.

“What’s going on?” Dan asked, standing up. Orange light was creeping into the sky, casting an eerie glow over the camp. Slowly, like rumbling thunder, more noise began to well up from the tents.

“Orders are being passed out,” Arin said, his voice still sounding so tired. Dan didn’t turn around, but tried to listen to what was being shouted. “Here,” the Quartermaster said from behind Dan. The thin man turned to see the other offering him the hilt of his sword. Slowly, unsure, Dan took it, while Arin carefully held the other end. Slowly, guiding Dan’s hand, the Quartermaster led the point of the blade to various points on his own body. “If you can get the blade into the gap that all armor has here, or here, or here” the man said, his voice low and calm. “It’s almost always fatal. Otherwise, the neck.” Arin finished, dropping the blade. Dan handed the hilt back to him. In drill, they hadn’t covered killing blows the way Arin had just done it. A sinking feeling started in Dan’s stomach, and he didn’t want to ask, or know what was coming.

“I, uh…” Dan said, fidgeting his hands together.

“I don’t know if it’s been obvious, but I feel responsible for you,” Arin said, pulling his hair out of the small knot it had been in – it was longer than Dan remembered – and running his fingers through it absently. “And I want you to be ready for anything.”

Dan swallowed hard as his mind raced. Maybe it’d be better to know what was going on, despite the knot in his gut and the dryness in his throat, but he had a million questions, each with an answer he feared more than the last. Despite this,  he tried to muster some courage to ask, but Arin spoke first, retying his hair before letting his arms drop back to his sides, a soft look on his face.

“I’m glad our paths crossed, Dan. I’m sure they’ll cross again soon.”

Pinks and reds had begun to flood the sky after the orange, the first slivers of the golden sun peeking into the valley as Arin marched up the hill towards the longhouse, with Dan watching him as long as he could, before he disappeared into a crowd as he crossed the stream.

Dan wasn’t sure what had just happened, but the foreboding feeling from last night was amplifying by the moment. Involuntarily, he touched at his neck, squinting to see if he could catch sight of Arin again before kicking some sand onto the nearly-dead fire and beginning his own march back up the valley to his camp. When he arrived, he found everyone assembled around Mark, nervous murmurs flying amongst them as the man spoke.

“The King’s army knows our location, and is expected to march on the valley before the day is out, so we’re going to beat them to the punch and leave. The majority of the forces will be leaving within the next few hours, heading out of the valley and to the northeast. Horse Company, a few detachments from Wagon Company, and some forces from Sword and Bow Companies accompanying us are in the second wave. We won’t be leaving until the others are gone. We’ve got decoy duty.”

“So we wait in the valley to get slaughtered?” someone yelled from behind Dan. A few other voices joined in, growing louder until Mark glared them down, calling for attention.

“Decoy duty isn’t a death sentence, you all know that. We’re going to convince the King’s army that we all escaped into Elf-lands, through the mountain path at the far end of the valley, and we’ll join the rest of the troops in a few day’s time. Brian and Ross can only cover the tracks of the others for so long, their magic can only do so much, so we need to move fast and convince those slugs that we’re who they want to go after. They’ll give up the chase once we get deep enough into Elf-lands. We just need to be ready to move fast.”

It was organized chaos after that, packing up tents and supplies, readying the horses for the commanders and hitching others to the wagons. It felt like no time at all had passed when the majority of the rebel forces trickled out of the valley, disappearing from sight quicker than Dan thought they’d be able to move. He wanted to know how the mages were going to cover their tracks – but instead he was relegated to helping stage the detachment of Wagon Company at the head of the small, nearly hidden trail that Mark had mentioned in his debriefing. Throughout the day, he learned bits and pieces about the plan on the whole – the path was evidentially a direct link to an Elven stronghold and was how the commanders had been in contact with the Prince himself, and that they truly were going to move into Elf territory and follow another path along the sea-cliffs that would lead them to the new rebel base.

Dan’s head reeled with all of this information, and struggled to keep his focus as they finished preparations. With everything staged, he could see how it might be reasonable to convince the enemy that they had all escaped up the steep, rocky path that started well behind the longhouse, hidden from sight unless you were looking hard for it. It would have been an arduous, nearly nightlong process to move the entirety of the rebel army through the mountain pass, and if they had done that, there would be a fair number of troops still trapped in the valley, waiting to move out. Dan figured the commanders wanted the enemy to think they’d been at this all night; that they were tired and weak. It might take them by surprise to come up against relatively fresh troops, only to lose them in Elf territory.

But with the slowest of wagon company already nearly at the top of the trail, ready to begin their descent into the Elf kingdom, it would be easy to evacuate the rest of the troops while holding the King’s forces, drawing their attention while the main brunt of the rebels moved quickly to the new base.

At nearly high sun a scout returned to the valley, reporting to Mark that a fair sized force under the King’s banner was less than an hour’s march from their position. The commander nodded, thanking the scout for the information before barking orders to a few Sword Company troops. At his words, the soldiers grabbed torches that had been burning in a low fire and took off to the far end of the valley; a few buildings still stood intact, including the Wagon Company pavilion and some sheds that had covered the Blacksmith’s workplaces. In minutes, these structures were ablaze, thick smoke billowing out of them, choking the view of the valley entrance. As the soldiers moved back up the valley, they set other buildings alight, until they reached the longhouse.  They held their torches, looking to Mark for his signal.  He didn’t speak, but motioned to Jack, who was stationed at the foot of the trail. Jack gave a shout, starting the line of troops moving. When their enemy finally arrived, all they would see is the tail end of a retreating enemy line and a valley on fire. Mark looked back to the soldiers at the longhouse and nodded. They disappeared inside with their torches, reemerging a few minutes later without them, smoke trailing them out.

Everything felt dreamlike around Dan as he kept his position near Jack. He’d been told that he’d help bring up the rear, that he’d have to help fight if the enemy troops got too close to the trail, if they needed to buy time. He hadn’t had to worry about convincing himself to be brave until now; they’d all been so busy with preparations that he had no time to consider anything else but his orders. But now that he had time, standing with a small cadre of his company-mates, watching the trailing members of Wagon Company working on the slow climb up the trail, while the small group of archers from Bow Company began to organize themselves nearby, he couldn’t make himself focus on anything other than the slowly approaching echoes of marching troops. Dan wandered away from Jack, coming to stand next to Mark, who was standing farthest from the trailhead. He only glanced at the slim man, but spoke after a moment.

“They’re at the mouth of the valley, coming through the gully,” Mark said, his gaze focused on the far end of the valley, even though it was obscured by thick smoke. The heat radiating form it was creeping closer, as the longhouse became engulfed in flames. “They’d have seen the smoke. They’ll be as focused as a hawk on us.”

“Do you think this plan will work?” Dan asked, some courage finally finding him. Just the same as that morning, with Arin, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer.

“I have followed Barry and Suzy for a year and a half, and I’ve never regretted putting my life on the table for their use. They wouldn’t have made a plan where a high loss of life was expected, if you’re worried about dying today.”

Dan laughed despite the rising feeling of sick in his gut. No commander wanted to lose lives, but what happens on a battlefield isn’t in the hands of a commander. Suddenly, there was a shout from the far end of the valley, and Mark seemed to bristle at the sound, his gaze still not breaking.

“Tell Jack to bring the archers up. They’re going to do a little work before they start up the pass. And get your company-mates in line; we’re going to have to be ready to move as soon as possible.”

Dan moved as ordered, glad to have commands to focus on. His throat scratched and his eyes had begun to burn from the smoke, but he took a small comfort in knowing that the enemy would soon be feeling the same way. He easily found Jack and relayed Mark’s orders. Jack called out orders and the archers moved to Mark, pulling arrows out of quivers as they moved. Dan continued on, finding the rest of his company-mates nervously milling near the trailhead.

“Get ready,” Dan said, trying to sound confident, not sure if he was succeeding. “The archers just went up, the King’s men are in valley.”

“Thought I heard the yell,” a woman said, tugging at the sword on her belt. “I wonder how long we’ve got.”

“Hard to say, but Mark said we need to be ready to move as soon as possible.” Dan said, touching the weapon at his hip, reminding himself that it was there. He turned back to the trail just in time to see the archers jog past, quickly ascending the trail. Mark was right behind the archers, giving the signal for Horse Company to start up the trail, what was left of Sword Company mixing in with them. Jack followed after, looking stone-faced.

“They’re moving quick. I think the archers got a few of them, but I don’t think we have as much time as we thought to get over this mountain.”

“As long as Wagon Company’s crested the trail, we should be able to make good time.” Mark said, looking back at the thick smoke. The fire from the longhouse would buy them a sliver of more time, as the flames were leaping off the structure at all angles, making a fair obstacle for any advancing troops. “And I can guarantee that those Bow Company idiots are practically running up the trail.”

“You should start up the trail, sir.” Jack started, his hand fidgeting at his hip. “I can lead the rear. It’ll be a narrow fight, once they catch up.”

Mark nodded and fell in with the retreating soldiers. Dan watched as he started up, his footing sure on the rocky path. He was situated near the back of the group, and Jack came to join him, bringing up the rear.

“First fight, isn’t it?” he said, nudging Dan. The smaller man had a sly smile on which Dan found concerning, considering their situation. “I have your back, you know. We’ll make it to the Elf Kingdom, I can promise you that.”

The man’s unflinching confidence helped ease Dan’s own growing fear, but the progress was quickly smudged out when they caught a glimpse of sliver armor coming through the smoke.


	11. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter ten, part two. // Dan finds a fight and a new country.

The few of them still waiting to start up the path faced the smoke and the handful of soldiers that had found their way through. For the moment it appeared that their commander had spread their forces out for recon, and by sheer misfortune, this group had found them.

“Don’t rush them,” Jack said through clenched teeth, drawing his sword. The others followed suit, but Dan could hear the people behind him taking steps back, making their way to the trail, inadvertently pressing those ahead along. For a brief second, he wondered if he meant those still climbing the trail, or the soldiers that hadn’t quite spotted them yet.

The smoke must have cleared enough for the enemy soldiers to see clearly, because at just that moment one of them gave a yelp and they pressed forward, swords drawn. Without decorum or preamble, Dan found himself in a fight, the muscle memory of drill kicking in without thought as he blocked a slow swing from the soldier that came at him, pushing him back and throwing him off balance. The soldier took a step back, but in half a moment was back at him, catching Dan off guard. He lifted his blade to defend but it wouldn’t do any good. Dan braced for impact when he heard the man grunt in pain. Looking to his side he saw Jack, his blade buried halfway in the shoulder joint of the enemy that was now swaying in front of them.

“C’mon,” Jack said, pulling his blade out of the man’s body, letting it fall limp and lifeless. Dan stared at the body for a moment, bile climbing his throat but Jack spoke again, tugging Dan back towards the trail head. “We need to get moving. There’s only going to be more of them, we need to get to where it’ll be easier to push them back.”

He didn’t have to tell Dan twice to get him to move, the two of them bringing up the tail end of the retreat. Jack was close behind Dan, stopping every so often to land a hit on an enemy that advanced just a little too quickly. The steep, narrow trail worked to their advantage, keeping the enemy to a manageable number as they clambered up the side of the mountain. The rest of the detachment had moved a ways ahead of them, leaving only a few Sword Company soldiers to help them keep the King’s forces at bay. It was a slow climb made slower by the constant need to turn and try to push another soldier back, but soon the crest of the trail was visible and a wave of relief washed over Dan. Jack and the others seemed to share this same reaction and they climbed faster, the rest of the retreating detachments already out of sight.

“Almost there,” Jack said between heavy breaths. “I told you we’d make it.” The man grinned at Dan who returned it, his own heavy breathing punctuating the smile.

“Don’t let them out of your sight!” a call rallied from further down the trail, and Jack’s smile quickly melted into a frown.

“They aren’t going to stop at the crest,” Dan muttered as he reached the wide spot in the path, denoting the top of the ridge. Looking behind him, he could see the valley below in flames, and a trail of glinting silver armor following them, only a few moments behind.

“Go! I’ll hold them off as best I can!” Jack said, pushing at Dan and the others, motioning them towards the descending trail before turning to face the soldiers catching up to them. The Sword Company soldiers took a few steps back, drawing their swords, almost as if they were unsure of wether or not they wanted to follow Jack’s order. They watched as Jack threw himself at the first two to make it up the trail, his swings sure and confident.  The first strike felled one soldier, and a sound backhand sent the second tumbling back down the trail. This was all the Sword soldiers needed to rush back to the trail, taking swings as more and more of the King’s men reached them.

Dan was torn between following orders and staying, drawing his sword and joining the fight but the image of the soldier that had attacked him at the trailhead crumpling to the ground, lifeless, flashed in his mind like a nightmare. So he hung back, wanting to run but unable to leave the others behind. The fight seemed to go well enough but in the chaos Dan quickly lost track of one, two, three….all of the Sword Company soldiers. Jack was holding his own well enough, keeping one and two at bay but as soon as he downed them,  more soldiers in gleaming armor took their places. Jack was beginning to lose ground, and he took slow, uneven steps back as another enemy approached him, causing him to lose his balance.

Dan so desperately wanted to follow Jack’s order in that moment, to turn and run while he still had a chance but as he watched a soldier knock Jack down onto the hard dirt, something stirred, hot and angry in Dan’s chest. He had to assume the Sword Company soldiers were dead. He couldn’t let Jack die on the trail too. He couldn’t let the plan end in disaster, not while he had breath in his lungs. From somewhere in deep in the back of his mind, Dan could hear Arin’s voice, exactly as it had sounded the first day they’d met.

_‘I’m glad you chose to be brave and foolish.’_

 Drawing his sword, Dan rushed the soldier standing over Jack, finding a break in their armor and driving the blade deep, pressing all his weight into it. He ignored the heavy feel of muscle tearing under his weight, and the choked off grunt of pain from the man above him.

“Jack!” Dan shouted over his shoulder, finally pushing the soldier back, pulling his blade free and sending the body tumbling back down the trail, screams and shouts from below telling him the body took a few more with it on it’s way down. Dan turned and gathered up his comrade, letting him lean on his shoulder as he guided him to the descending trial, looking back over his shoulder to defend against whoever was coming after them, only to stop short when he realized the King’s soldiers were  also stopped short, their gazes locked on something that was ahead of the two rebels. It only took half a moment for them to turn and scramble back down the trail as Dan felt figures move past him and Jack, pursuing the retreating forces.

“They’re Elves,” Jack breathed, a laugh dancing at the edge of his words. Dan looked around, surprised in the fullest to see graceful, muscular bodies clad in dark, forest colored armor spilling over the rocks around them, bows and swords drawn, advancing on the soldiers faster than they could retreat.

“They saved our lives,” Dan muttered, his gaze still transfixed on their allies as they fanned out, archers taking up positions to fire at the retreating soldiers below. Dan didn’t care to stay and watch the Elves decimate the soldiers, so instead he started himself and Jack down the trial that changed from dusty rock and yellowing grass to rich brown dirt and foliage that seemed to appear in the blink of an eye. The trail came to an end and gave way to a small footpath that took them through a small wood, the tell-tale signs of the passage of the other detachments before them all around.

“We got too damn lucky back there,” Jack muttered, limping along next to Dan. He insisted on walking himself, now that they were on more even ground, but the going was slow. “They were ready to follow us all the way to the Keep.”

“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if the Elves hadn’t shown up.” Dan said, stopping when Jack did to catch his breath and rest his leg. The shorter man cast a look up at Dan, a wry half-smile on his face.

“We’d both be dead, that’s for sure.” Jack paused, his brow furrowed.  “But I do have to thank you, for stepping in when you did.”

“For ignoring your order,” Dan laughed, almost uncomfortable with Jack’s tone. The man was never very serious, and it was strange to hear him say anything without a hint of a smile in it.

“I’ve never been gladder to have someone go insubordinate on me. I owe you, Dan. Now let’s get to the keep so I can sit my ass down and drink a few pints before the pain knocks me out.”

 

 

It didn’t take them much longer to reach the Keep. The Elves that had appeared at the crest had caught up to them  near the edge of the woods, and they insisted on carrying Jack out, which he fought (mostly for show, Dan thought with a smirk), but it made their pace much quicker. The Elves mostly spoke to each other in quiet tones, nothing sinister or subversive, but little personal conversations that Dan strained to hear snippets of. The language was lyrical almost, and he’d always enjoyed hearing it at the Inn, but out here it seemed more at home and natural and even more beautiful than he remembered.

“Have you seen our Kingdom before?” A woman asked Dan as she fell in step with him, her face half-hidden by a cloth mask that she pulled down as she spoke. Her accent was much stronger than Suzy’s, but her voice was softer.

“No, I’ve never been over the mountains before.”

“Then I welcome you. _U oshito aiy mi ta ito._ You’ll like it here. There is magic in Nyrsonnop that doesn’t exist in Althanar. You seem the type who will appreciate it more than the others.”

“What do you mean by that, there being magic here?” Dan asked, glancing over at the woman with a hint of confusion. She smiled and pointed ahead of them.

“You have to see it to understand. But you will, I can feel this.”

Dan followed the trail her pointed finger made and he felt his jaw drop. Ahead of them was a keep neatly carved into the side of the mountain, as if it had been put there by nature itself. In the shadow cast by the towering rock, neat rows of lights dotted the outward facing walls, marking where archers stood ready, watching the approach of their comrades and guests. From the angle he was standing at, Dan could see that the Keep was thin and tall, pressed against the rock and it was very unlike the forts and strongholds of Althanar. The Elf had been right about the magic; there was something about the sight in front of him, of the entire feel of the land he was standing on, and the land that he knew was beyond him and out of his sight that had a power all its own. A smile crept onto his face as he took the sights in, following the trail of Elves to the gates of the Keep where familiar wagons were lined up, and familiar faces soon came into view.

“We thought you were goners, where’s the rest of the Sword Company gits?” a man asked, helping to take Jack from the Elves. Dan looked down, unwilling to answer. Jack did for him, and they were silent for a moment. From somewhere nearer to the gate, Mark appeared, relief washing over his face when he saw Jack and then Dan.

“I’m glad to see you both made it,” he said, a smile crossing his face before he looked Jack up and down. “A little worse for wear, maybe.”

“Yeah, yeah, I wouldn’t’ve come back to you at all if not for Danny there,” Jack motioned. Mark raised his eyebrows, his usual cue for ‘tell me about it later’.

“They made space for us inside the gate, so dinner will be after we get everything and everyone inside. Let’s get you to a healer for now. Dan, can I have you take Jack’s place for now, and get Horse Company inside without incident?”

“O-of course,” Dan said, surprised by the sudden mantle of responsibility Mark gave him. The man nodded and motioned for another man to help him lead Jack inside, disappearing quickly in the fading light.


	12. twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day of consequences brings two beings closer together, and a promise is made.

The Elves were efficient to a fault, and Dan’s role in getting Horse Company within the walls of the Keep was minimal at best, but he did the best he could to be helpful to their hosts. After being shown the stable where they’d be able to keep their horses and enlisting the help of a few of his compatriots to get the beasts comfortable, they were ushered by a few young Elves, nearly children by any standard, towards a hall, their escorts seemingly fascinated by everything about their guests.

“Don’t mind them,” a familiar voice said as Dan gently took his hand back from a young elf for the third time. He turned to see the same Elf he’d spoken with in the forest, a wide smile on her face as she watched the young Elf dash off at the sight of her. “They’ve never seen humans before, and they are at that curious age. Is your friend alright, the one we carried?”

Dan grinned, reminding himself to tell Jack that that’s how he was being remembered. “I think he’ll be fine. They took him to a healer nearly as soon as our commander found us. I- I didn’t catch your name, did I?”

“No, I didn’t offer it. I am Uldoemaeol,” she paused, seemingly only to enjoy taking in Dan’s confused and slightly panicked expression. “But you can call me Kati. And I can call you…?”

“Dan. Well, it’s Daniel, but mostly I get called Dan. Either is fine.”

“What do your friends call you?” Kati asked, walking in step with the man, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Dan, they’ve all called me Dan.”

“Then that’s what I’ll use.” She said with an air of finality, as if she dared him to challenge that she wanted to befriend him even in this small way. Dan smiled at the woman and nodded, accepting her terms. They finished the walk to the hall in silence, but Kati took his arm when he stopped short, obviously overwhelmed by the size of the room. “Come this way, sit with me and my unit.” She said, gently dragging him down a row of tables to one filled with Elves already drinking and laughing with one another, they greeted the two of them with wide smiles and glasses of wine.

“This hall is amazing,” Dan said as he sat, Kati on his right and an Elf man on his left, who slid him a glass of wine before he’d even finished sitting down. Kati nodded as she took a long sip from her own cup.

“It’s carved from a cave. When we first used this mountain as a Keep, this room was the entirety of it.”

Dan nodded at her words, taking them in as he craned his neck to take in the space. It was filled with tables that were filled with a mix of Elves and humans, all laughing and smiling. He could see Mark sitting at an elevated table with what he assumed were the Keep’s commanders. For a moment, he wondered where the rest of Horse Company had landed. The thought was pushed quickly from his mind as his tablemates and the arrival of food drew his attention away.

 

 

Dinner was a blur of food and drink and laughter and Dan couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt happier or more at ease, but the wine that never seemed to find an end probably helped with that. He wasn’t sure what time it was when the Hall began to clear out, but Kati was there, sticking by him the entire time. She let him lean on her when he realized he should have begun declining drink mid-meal, her only reaction a good natured laugh at his expense. Gently, slowly, she lead him through the Keep, towards the bunks the humans had been allotted.

“I never knew Elves were so hospitable,” Dan said, hoping his words were coming out as clear as he meant them to.

“Guests are always a reason to celebrate, no matter the reason for their presence. I imagine it doesn’t hurt to try and forget the war for a little while, too.”

At mention of the war, Dan found a flash of clarity; his smile melting as all of the past day’s events came rushing back.

“It doesn’t take much for me to forget that we’re at war.”

“Oh?” Kati asked, guiding Dan up a set of stairs. The archer’s posts gave them a clear view of the forests below and in the distance. The air was cool and the sky cloudless, revealing countless stars dotting the heavens. Dan stopped, leaning against the sill to look up at the sky.

“I joined the rebels on a whim, basically. I’d barely been in a bar fight before today.” Dan dipped his head as a breeze kicked in, ruffling his hair. He ran a hand through it, surprised by how long it had grown. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed before. Kati stood in the opening next to Dan, examining the same sky.

“Joining a war is a serious matter, did you think it would be easy?” she asked, not looking at the man.

“No, not at all. I just… It felt like it was the right thing to do. I just wanted to do the right thing.”

The breeze died down, and somewhere not too far away a wolf howled, its pack mates joining in. Dan shivered, suddenly wishing for a fire or a blanket.

“Wanting to do the right thing is admirable, even when you make foolish choices to do so.” Kati said, standing up from the opening. “I saw you hesitate at the Crest today. I saw you decide between running away and going to save your friend. I was…proud of you, for going back for him.”

Dan smiled despite himself, oddly pleased to have the Elf’s approval, despite having only known her for a short time.

“Is that why you came up to me in the woods?” Dan asked, peeling himself away from the archer’s post. Kati took the cue and began their trek to the bunks again.

“Partially. This will seem…strange, but I felt protective of you, so I wanted to make sure you were alright. Perhaps we were siblings in a different life.”

“D’you think that’s possible?”

“Anything is possible, Dan. We could have lived infinite lives together. Or maybe it’s that you’re just childish enough that you remind me of my actual brother, back in Duetiri.” She teased. “Here’s your stop.”

Dan grinned and thanked her for her help, to which Kati replied by ruffling his hair, wishing him a good night. He watched her bound off for a moment before turning into the dark room, finding an empty bed, and collapsing into it, letting sleep find him nearly as soon as he closed his eyes.

 

 

The next morning found Dan with a pounding head and a fuzzy memory as to how he’d made his way to the bunks last night. Fortunately he wasn’t the only one who had slept a little later than normal, making the tedious trek to the mess hall a little less embarrassing.  Early on in their search they came across an elf with a sense of humor who was willing to point them in the right direction, and even more so was their luck with them that there was food left, despite it being nearly mid-morning.

“Any word on when we’ll be moving out?” One of his breakfast companions asked, chewing on his bite of bread slowly. The others shook their heads, tucking into their food instead of engaging the conversation.

“I imagine we wouldn’t stay too long,” Dan said, fidgeting with his spoon. “Don’t want to overstay a welcome, right?”

“I always knew you were a smart one, Dan.” Mark’s voice seemed louder in the huge hall, and everyone cringed at its sound. “Tomorrow morning we head out. I expect Horse Company to be ready to move by daybreak.”

Everyone groaned, slumping in their seats at what had to be some sort of punishment.  Mark set a hand on Dan’s shoulder, leaning down to speak to just him.

“Come to the stables when you’ve finished. I need to speak with you.”  

Dan nodded, unsure at whether or not he needed to be worried about what his commander would say to him. He finished his food a little slower than he needed to, bidding his companions a good day before making the trek through the fortress to the stables near the gate. He easily found Mark taking inventory of the wagons just outside the structure, dictating notes to another member of Horse Company who was furiously writing the notes down in a thin book. Mark stopped when he noticed Dan hanging back, motioning him forward.

“Did you have a good time last night?” he asked, grinning wickedly at the other man. Dan blushed and shrugged, nodding his head sheepishly. “That’s good. You deserved it.” He turned to take the book from the other company member, dismissing her. Neither spoke until she was gone, leaving just the two of them by the wagons.

“I know I shouldn’t have-“ Dan started, his hands fumbling together nervously. Mark cut him off though, speaking over him in a tone of voice Dan hadn’t ever heard before.

“I meant it, when I said you deserved it. Jack and a few of the Elves told me what happened. You could have ran, but you were ready to lay down your life to try and get Jack out of there. I… Thank you, for saving my second. He’s a good man, and he’d be hard to replace.”

“I, it’s… I just couldn’t leave him there. It wouldn’t have been right.” Dan said, embarrassed by Mark’s praise. He shifted his weight, his hands still nervously intertwining.

“I knew there was something different about you, Dan.” Mark said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “There are great things in your future. I can feel it. In the meantime though, I need you to recheck the tack and finish the inventory on the wagons. I have a meeting with the Keep’s Commander, but I should be back later if you end up needing help.”

Dan took the slim book from his commander, looking from his retreating figure to the very full wagon and the stable full of tack. He sighed heavily and set to work, picking up where Mark and his scribe had left off.

 

The sun had crawled high in the sky by the time Dan finished inventorying the wagons, and his neck and back ached from holding his position, moving only between counting supplies and writing down his findings. He stretched wide and long as he wandered into the stable, pulling pieces of tack to take back into the sunlight to examine. The day was turning out to be remarkably pleasant, and despite the amount of work going on around him, Dan could still hear the not-too-far off sounds of the woods; birds chirping and a few bugs humming and wind moving through new leaves. He found a clear spot to spread out his work and set to it, finding this work at least a little more enjoyable.

“Was this your punishment for oversleeping this morning?” a voice asked, a hint of a laugh behind it. Dan looked up to see Kati hovering over him, but she moved to sit when he noticed her. Once seated, she reached for a bridle, inspecting it. “Double checking the tack?”

“Unfortunately, I think so,” Dan said, faking a grim look. The Elf glanced up at him from her examination of the bridle in her hands, grinning at him.

“Well, seeing as it’s mostly my fault you got too drunk and slept in, the least I can do is help with the work.”

“You don’t have to do that-“ Dan started but the Elf put a hand up, setting the bridle aside.

“I know. I’m doing it because I want to.”

The duo sat in silence for a long while, inspecting tack, setting aside the pieces that would need work, taking in armfuls of bridles and leads back into the stable only to bring out more. Once started, their conversation drifted easily as if they’d known each other for months and years rather than hours and a day. Dan learned that Kati was a contracted soldier from the Elf Capitol city of Duetiri I Mo Rilmae – because it paid well - and that she had to see this war to the end and she’d get to go home to her mother and father and little brother and fiancé; Kati spoke of her the most – a beautiful, talented artist who had recently gotten her first patron and was finally going to be able to begin earning enough money to help them live on their own, once Kati returned. Between the two of them, Kati figured, they’d do well for several years.

In his own turn, Dan spoke of his journey to the valley and his training, of the Inn he missed and the people he considered his family that were still trapped there. Kati was sympathetic and shared his anger at the course of events that had brought him to this very fortress.

“I understand better why you joined the Rebel’s forces so readily,” she said, leaning back from the pile. “I would have done the same.”

“But I’m still not sure if I really made the right choice, sometimes,” Dan said, tying and retying a finding on a bridle. “I don’t think I’ll ever really know for sure.”

“Probably not, but does that matter? You’re with them now, and you have to act accordingly, as your circumstances allow.” Kati said. Dan soaked in her words, not sure he could dismiss the thought as easily as she did. The Elf woman, not waiting for a response, stood up to gather the tack in front of her. “At any rate, this was the last of your work, and dinner will be soon.”

Dan glanced around, finally realizing the sun had begun to drop in the sky, the cliffs casting the Keep into early darkness. More time had passed than he thought, and he stood, moving to help his friend put their task away.

“Thank you, again, for helping me. As far as punishments go, it wasn’t so bad, having help and company.”

Kati grinned wide at the man, setting her hands on her hips.

“Think nothing of it.” From somewhere a level above them, another Elf called for Kati, her Elven name rolling off their tongue like a song.

“Uldoemaeol  Dernir! Don’t forget you have kitchen duties tonight!” The woman looked up and said something back in quick Elven that made the first Elf laugh, shaking their head as they disappeared. Kati looked back to Dan, and her smile began to fade.

“I worry this will be the last time I see you while we’re in this place together. Would you promise me something, Daniel Avidan?”

“What did you have in mind?” Dan asked, rubbing the palms of his hands idely against his trousers.

“When this is all over - this war and the fighting -  come up to Duetiri and visit me and my family. You’ll want to look for the Dernir family, and probably use my Elven name, so you can’t forget it.”

“I couldn’t even if I tried,” Dan quipped. Kati smiled her wide, friendly smile and Dan felt at peace.

“I think you’d like the City, and my family loves guests. Can you promise me you’ll visit?”

“I will, as soon as I’m able.” Dan extended h is hand to shake on it, and Kati took it, her grip firm and sure.

“May our paths cross again before that day.” Katie said, her tone a shade more serious than Dan expected it to be. He nodded nonetheless, agreeing. From above, the same voice as before called Kati’s name again, more urgent. “Until then,” she said, bounding off into the Keep. From somewhere deep inside the fortress’s walls, a bell rang, the unmistakable sound of a call to dinner. Alone, Dan made his way to the dining hall, the feeling of Kati’s hand on his still ghosting on his skin.


	13. thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All good things end, but change is necessary to see the greatest growth and find what you hadn't even realized you'd been missing.

As the Elf had predicted, Dan didn’t see her again before he left the Keep with his Company. Mark’s expectations held, and Horse Company was ready to move out before the sun had even begun to lighten the sky, but the other detachments weren’t far behind them. A few Elves were up with them as well, packing last minute supplies into already full wagons. There wasn’t any decorum in their departure, only a few solemn farewells as Mark led the troops away from the Keep, moving north-east, away from the mountain pass they’d descended a few days earlier.

Much to his surprise, Dan had been handed the reins to a horse of his own, along with instructions to keep an eye on the tail end of the caravan. Mark had given him a look that probably was meant to bolster his confidence, but the sudden appearance of responsibility just made the slim man nervous. But, as the Innkeeper had always told him, being nervous about something meant you cared about it. Dan frowned, suddenly painfully aware that he couldn’t recall the man’s face, or the sound of his voice. His words distorted and blurred, sounding younger and readily familiar. Somehow, Dan’s thoughts went straight to Arin. He hadn’t allowed himself to think too much about it at the Keep, and Kati had helped keep his mind from it, but he wondered if he’d made it to…wherever they were going. Thoughts of the King’s men following after the rebel’s main forces flashed across his mind, and Dan could feel his hands tighten painfully around the reins.

“You awake there, Dan?” Jack sad, his voice tearing through the fog of Dan’s thoughts, snapping him back to reality.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just- What did you need?”

The man grinned, wide and pleased as he reined his horse in to walk next to Dan’s, the wide path that had been cut through the forest allowing those on foot to pass them on either side.

“Nothin’ in particular. Just wanted to see how you were handling the day.”

“You can barely call it that,” Dan muttered, casting a glance up to the sky, barely visible through the trees. The sky had begun to lighten, casting the grey ceiling in dusty pink light. “The sun hasn’t even made an appearance yet.”

“It’ll show soon enough, and then we’ll curse that she ever showed herself.” The man laughed, sounding so much like he had back in the valley, almost carefree if Dan didn’t know any better. The thought of the valley made him smile, and hearing Jack’s laughter was soothing.

“Do you know where we’re heading?” Dan asked, pulling his horse back into line, letting a few more foot soldiers pass.

“I do, for once. Turns out we’re close enough to one of the old refugee trails the Elves used to leave Althanar back when that one King of yours tried to purge ‘em out… what was his name? Anyway, doesn’t matter, but the catch is it’s a tricky narrow little thing. It’s single file whole way, and takes nearly a whole day to traverse it. Steep terrain and dense trees on one side, crumbling cliffs that break off into the sea on the other. The commander at the Keep said it’s clear enough, but we have to move while the weather holds. Waves come up too high during storms.”

Dan raised an eyebrow, trying to decide if Jack was exaggerating or if he was being honest with him. He’d heard only a few stories about the Kings that had called for the expulsion of the Elves of Althanar. They had been from long before his time, but the stories were vivid in their detail of the struggle the Elves faced at the hands of those rulers. He shuddered involuntarily, shifting in the saddle. One of the stories had mentioned a sea-side path that Elves escaping back to their homeland had used, but the story he remembered ended with a giant stone destroying the trail, leaving it impassable.

“Then we’re at least two days out from meeting back up with everyone else.” Dan said, looking behind him to see if anyone had fallen behind.

“Mark was thinking three. It’ll take us all day to clear these woods, and we’ll camp at the edge of forest and start on the trail tomorrow, hopefully find someplace safe to camp on the other side. He got a hawk this morning and sent it back nearly right away, so I imagine they’ll be watching for us.”

“I’ll be glad to be back with everyone else. I wonder what sort of spot they found to hide us in this time,”

“Hard to say,” Jack started, only to stop short when a man, slightly out of breath, stopped him to relay a message from Mark. “Guess the boss needs me. I’ll find you at camp, Dan. Stay sharp.”

Jack nudged his horse ahead, taking off at a brisk trot, disappearing down the trail.

 

The rest of the day passed slowly. The sun never made her appearance; instead she stayed hidden behind a veil of clouds that spilled a cold, misty rain that started at noon and didn’t let up even when Dan, bringing up the rear of the group, caught up to where they had decided to set up camp. The sun was somewhere near the edge of the horizon, but dark had already decided to creep up, the colors of the sunset hidden by the clouds. A dense clump of trees offered some shelter against the weather that had changed to a steady rain with a brisk wind. Mark seemed nervous at this turn of events, but didn’t say anything to Jack or Dan, instead telling them they’d need to be moving out around daybreak again, if they wanted to get everyone through the trail in one go. They moved to spread the word through camp, commiserating over the pace with the others, but assuring them that the sooner they moved out, the sooner they’d be back with the rest of the army and the sooner they wouldn’t have to camp on the edge of a forest.

This fact placated most, if not all of the soldiers, which suited Dan just fine. He found it hard to try and convince others of the good of a situation if he wasn’t entire sure how it would go himself. He wanted to promise them that they’d be in a warm hall soon, with real beds and fur blankets but he couldn’t make those kinds of promises yet. He wondered idly what sort of new place Suzy and Barry had found for them. Maybe it was a cave system, tucked underground and out of sight. Or maybe it was another valley, hidden in the recesses of the forests of Althanar. Whatever it was, he was certain it would be better than the ground in the rain, with a strange, dull roar constantly in the background of the noise of camp.

“What’s that sound?” he finally asked Jack as they strung a few tent canvases between some trees to help block the rain. The smaller man frowned at him, confused, but his face lit up an instant later when a thought came to him.

“You’ve never seen the sea, have you?”

Dan shook his head and Jack motioned for him to follow, taking a torch from one of the small guard fires they’d built, the flame dancing and sputtering in the rain. Dan followed Jack and the light he carried for a short while, the entire time the roar growing louder and louder, until Jack crested a small slope, pausing at the top to look back at the tall man.

“This, Mr. Avidan, is the sea.” He motioned with his whole arm, as if presenting Dan with a gift. The stable hand crested the slope, and a small gasp escaped his lips. Stretching far out into the dark, much farther than the torch could afford, was grey, glassy water, as far as the eye could see. The roaring sound came from the waves striking against cliffs marked by the relentless beating of water against their surfaces.

“This is the sea,” Dan repeated, starting at it, awestruck. “And we have to walk next to this all day tomorrow? What if we fall in?”

“You’re doomed then,” Jack said, no trace of a laugh in his voice. “The water’s worn away entire caves under the cliffs here, and if you fall in, the water pushes you into ‘em, and you can’t get back out.”

Dan shivered and turned away, heading back towards camp.

“I’ll get my fill of the sea tomorrow, then.” Dan muttered, glancing back to make sure Jack was following close behind. The smaller Southern man laughed at his comment, but dutifully followed, jogging to catch up to walk next to his friend.

 

The next morning came too quickly, but the rain had stopped, leaving only a fair breeze in it’s place. Like clockwork Jack and Dan roused the rest of the camp, oversaw breakfast and reported back to Mark in record time. The commander was examining a map carefully, the nervousness he’d worn on his face gone, only to be replaced by his usual, even-keeled look.

“It’s single-file from here until we’re all back in Althanar. I’ll lead with Sword company, just in case. I want the wagons directly after that. Jack, you follow the wagons, and then after you all of the foot soldiers will go, and Dan, I’ll ask you to bring up the rear again.”

Both men nodded, agreeing to their roles, and Mark dismissed them, tucking away his map before helping to pack up the supplies they used the night before. In less than an hour, everyone was ready to move out, the nearly cloudless sky brightening by the second as the sun began her ascent.

Dan waited patiently for the line to move, not nearly as worried about an attack from behind as he had been in the mountains. Knowing the Elves were behind them, it was comforting in a small way, for however long it would last. Once they were back in Althanar, there was no one at their backs, and it was hard to say what all would be waiting for them there. Familiar nervousness settled into his gut and Dan desperately tried to will it away, but to no avail. Even as he finally began on the trail, following behind the slowest of the foot soldiers and the roar of the sea grew louder as the path drew closer and closer to the edge of the cliffs, the worry nestled in his gut migrated to his chest, where it held fast, daring him to be brave and look to the sea, or to look behind him, knowing he was leaving behind safety.

The trail was truly only one person wide, with a few sparse, intermittent trees barely clinging to the earth the only separation between the marching rebels and the drop into the water. Their roots couldn’t penetrate the rock, and so they clogged the trail instead. Dan wondered how many Elven refugees has slipped and fallen into the sea, only to be pushed into the caves by unrelenting waves.  Dan guessed it would be one of the more frightening deaths available, and desperately tried to think of anything else for the rest of the ride.

 

Despite the slow going, the group made excellent time through the trail, and Mark was more than happy to let everyone set camp earlier to celebrate surviving the trail without losing anyone or anything. They all slept well that night, and come morning were ready to move again. Dan and Jack followed their same routine, getting everyone ready to march for the day. Mark didn’t disclose his plan for the day, instead opting to just order the troops to move out, the mess of rebels following after him, slightly more on edge than they had been in the past few days. Dan felt it, and he was sure even Jack could to – a sort of shroud of unspoken worry covered them once they had all made it back to Althanar. Had they really outmaneuvered the King’s men? Or were they simply waiting for them to return, a surprise attack laying in wait? Despite the day being as pleasant as the one before, despite the lack of concern on either Jack or Mark’s face, Dan felt on edge, almost sick. The knot in his chest was tight, and he wondered when he’d be free of it.

At midday, they broke free of the forest and found themselves on the banks of a wide river; on the other side were friendly faces, all of which stood and waved to them as if greeting loved ones long missed.

“It’s shallow enough here we should all be able to cross,” Mark said, passing the word back through the ranks. “And we’ll follow our comrades to our new home.”  He started the soldiers across the river, the water only coming up to their knees, mid-thigh on the shortest of them,  waiting with Dan and Jack until everyone had crossed before joining them, the three of them bringing up the rear as their waiting friends lead them into more forest, this one dense and dark, the smell of rich soil and leaves permeating everything. The path they took seemed to curve and turn at bizarre angles, making Dan wonder if the new head quarters were even located in the forest or if this was just to throw potential pursuers off, but then he saw it.

The dark stone walls seemed to appear as if out of a mist, the ivy and moss that covered them lending them a sort of camouflage. They passed through old steel gates and a wide guard house into the main courtyard of what had to have been, in its time, a beautiful Keep.  There was plenty of noise around him, and Dan realized he hadn’t heard any of it until he’d stepped inside the gates. He guessed it was  Brian’s doing, helping to cover their location by masking their sound. He followed Mark and Jack to the stables, where he slid off his horse so a waiting stable hand could tend to it.

The common area inside the walls of the keep was large enough, and just from where he stood, he could see a blacksmith's furnace fired up, the entirety of Wagon Company swarming the new arrivals, unloading and sorting the items carried back from Elf lands, and the smell of cooking food wafted from the kitchen, wherever that had been set up. Dan was in utter awe of the place – he felt safe here, and knew he would be, but it wasn’t until he looked up and saw Arin standing with Suzy and Barry at a low balcony, watching the troops file back in did he feel the knot in his chest loosen. It wasn’t until Arin and Dan met eyes, the Quartermaster smiling wide and sincere, and Dan returning it for all he was worth, did the knot completely dissolve.


	14. fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling down means more time for thoughts you'd have kept at bay to creep in.

Dan didn’t have time to process seeing Arin again before he was shuffled off to his duties, helping Mark unload and wash down the horses that had carried them and their supplies, settling them into their new home. The sun was beginning to sink below the trees before they finished their work, the smell of food nearly taunting Dan. Jack came around to collect the other man, showing him to the quarters held by Horse Company. Instead of tents, they were in long, low buildings with row after row of beds. The set-up reminded Dan of the Elven Keep, and of Kati, but more than anything he was glad to see straw pallets on the beds instead of just wooden planks. He wasn’t sure how much better living could get here, but he was prepared to find out.

“Get washed up, and changed if you’ve got spare clothes. I guess they’re havin’ a big how d’ya do to celebrate the success of the plan.” Jack waved his hands flippantly at mention of “the plan”, causing Dan and a few others nearby to laugh.

“What better reason is there to celebrate than the fact that we all got to live to see another day?” A woman said from her own bed as she pulled on her boots. The others made noises of approval, finishing up their preparations and heading back out of the barracks. Jack shook his head, grinning in unspoken agreement. Instead of following the others, he hung around, waiting for Dan.

“Someone was glad to see you come back,” Jack muttered once they were outside of the barracks, nudging Dan in the side as the wide grin on his face slid into a sly one. The slim man felt his face redden as he stammered for a comeback, failing to have anything come to mind.

“I-I don’t know what-“

“Come off it, you’d’ve to be blind to have missed the look the Quartermaster shot you when he realized you’d come through the gate.”

“I don’t think it means anything,” Dan started, clearing his throat and readjusting the sleeves on his shirt. “He was just glad to see his plan come full circle, that’s all.”

“Sure, sure.” Jack grinned, letting the subject drop as they made their way into the great hall of their new headquarters. The place was buzzing with noise and laughter, with food already set out on the tables and the wine and ale already filling everyone’s cups. Jack directed Dan to a table full of their comrades and they took a seat, sliding easily into the conversation as those around them passed empty plates to be filled down to them, cups of alcohol appearing near them without even having to ask. For half a moment, Dan felt a little guilty, having already sat through a meal like this with the elves, but the thought was pushed from his mind quickly when Jack nudged him hard, roping him into some drinking game another man at the table was trying to teach them.

 

The dinner ran long, not helped by the fact that every so often, a commander would stand up and offer a toast to someone - usually Suzy and Barry, but a few others who had done something significant made their way into the toasts – the room going mostly quiet as the commander offered their applause to the recipient, tossing back their drink at the end while everyone cheered and followed suit. The evening was well underway when someone nudged Dan as whispers flew around the tables full of Horse Company soldiers – Mark had stood up, his cup raised, his posture much more steady than those who had toasted before him. The room came to something that vaguely resembled calm as he spoke, his deep voice clear and easily heard in the hall.

“In Solime, we have a tradition,” the room seemed to go more still, maybe even quieter. Mark didn’t move, only kept his gaze fixed on the main table. “That a person’s first brave act on the battlefield makes them a warrior. Dan,” the man turned to gesture, his gaze fixed on the slim man whose face had started to redden more than he could blame on the win, but turned away after a brief moment. “Chose to risk his own life to save his brother, my second instead of choosing an easier path. Tradition dictates that I would give him his own horse,” a ripple of laughter rose from the crowd and Mark smiled, a warm and somewhat foreign expression on his face. “But seeing as that won’t happen, the next best thing I could do is this.” The man returned his gaze to Dan, lifting his cup to him before throwing his head back to drink all of it’s contents, the room following suit with a  round of cheers and applause. Dan grinned despite himself, embarrassed by the attention but pleased to have it at the same time. Other Solimeics in the room all shouted something in their language before taking their own drinks, his own table and company-mates reaching to pat him on the back and offer their kind words. Jack, who was still sitting next to him, thanked him again quietly, resting his head on Dan’s shoulder affectionately in his mostly-too-drunk state.

Dan gaze travelled the room, his smile wide with each person who finished their drink and cheered, turning back to their own food. The head table even followed suit, Suzy and Barry taking long sips from their cups, returning to a conversation between themselves, but Dan’s breath caught in his throat when his gaze fell on Arin. The man seemed to be waiting for Dan to notice him, for their eyes to meet and unmistakably when they did Arin lifted his own cup towards Dan, just enough, just for him, and smiled before drinking deep. Dan looked away, his face redder than ever. He wanted to tell himself that it probably didn’t mean anything, and he tried to recall the words he’d exchanged with Jack on their way down to the hall, but in the haze all of the wine had created in his mind all he could summon was the way his heart thudded against his chest and echoed throughout his entire being. He didn’t want it to mean nothing. He looked up again, his eyes going directly to Arin’s space at the main table, but he was already gone, like he’d been a figment of a fever dream. Someone next to Dan offered him another drink and without thinking, Dan took it, throwing it back without a second thought.

 

 

It was still dark when Dan opened his eyes, his mind clearer than he expected it to be, but his limbs felt lethargic and heavy. He didn’t quite recall walking back to the barracks or crawling into bed, but that’s where he was, judging from the soft (and some not-so-soft) sounds of sleep coming from around him. Slowly he rose from his bed and felt his way to the door. He stepped outside into the cool night air, faint light from the low-burning fires in saucers near the doors enough to guide him to the well, enough for him to pull up a bucket and drink his fill before haphazardly washing up, feeling awake and not nearly as wine-sick as he deserved to be. The sky was beginning to lighten but he imagined the others wouldn’t be up for hours, if they were all only half so lucky as him. Seeing an opportunity to explore the grounds without restriction, Dan wandered, slipping through open doorways and walking down a dark corridor until the faint sound of arrows meeting a target caught his attention. He followed it through the keep, moving slowly, trying to force his eyes to adjust to the half-light.

At the end of the short hall he’d turned down, the doorway let out into a small courtyard with targets lined up against the far wall with small platforms lined up opposite them; makeshift lanes for practice, with a feminine figure situated at one of them. Dan stopped short, watching as the archer gracefully set an arrow and pulled back, losing the shaft in half a breath, the whole motion fluid and steady. Even in the low light, Dan knew the arrow had hit its mark.

“You’re bad at hiding,” the archer said, her voice unmistakable. Dan grimaced and stepped into the courtyard. Suzy broke her stance and turned to look at Dan. The Elf seemed surprised to see him, but she recovered and her face was neutral again in a heartbeat. She set her bow aside, folding her arms over her chest. “I didn’t realize it was you, Dan Avidan. I thought you wouldn’t have joined the land of the living until mid-day today at least.”

“I would have thought that too, but here I am.” Dan shrugged, unsure how to speak to the Elf. Much to his relief she smiled and dropped her arms, picking her bow back up to unstring it.

“Here we are,” she said quietly, not looking at Dan as she wound up the bowstring and slid it into a small pouch on her hip. “I suppose we – I -  have you to thank for that. I don’t believe I ever thanked you for what you did for us at the Inn. You have my gratitude eternally, Dan Avidan.”

“It was…” he trailed off, not wanting to say nothing. Arin had already told him that what he had done was nothing. “It was the least I could do, at the time. Or maybe the most I could do. Looking back I don’t think I would have been helpful at all if you’d have had to fight your way out.”

“Spoken like a man who’s seen his own changes.” Suzy said, her voice growing softer. “Others have seen your changes as well. I’m glad they aren’t lost on you. There’s no shame in being able to sing your own praise.”

Dan blushed at her words but wasn’t sure what else to say. He wanted her to elaborate on the others who had seen his changes, but he wondered how out of line it would be to push questions on one of the leaders of the rebellion.

“If I could offer you a few words,” Suzy said, filling the silence. “I only ask that you continue to be who you are. Don’t let war change you here,” she gently touched his chest with two fingers, right over his heart. “If you can help it.”

The man nodded, at a loss for words again as the Elf turned and disappeared back into the keep. Somewhere, a horse whinnied and was answered by another. Absently, he touched the place on his shirt where she had touched him, and wondered just how monumental of a task she had given him.


	15. fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And soon there's nothing stopping your feelings from becoming an avalanche, the quiet aftermath of which is more than you might be willing to deal with.

Days passed and Dan fell into stride at the keep, finding his place in the routines that resurfaced as if they all had never left the valley. It was comforting to have something familiar back even after such a short time, and it surprised Dan a little that the daily rounds of working in the stable, drill with his company, food, chores and repeat was comfortable to him. Suzy’s words crept at the edge of his thoughts, that others had seen him change and his thoughts seemed to find their way back to Arin, despite his own reluctant hesitation.

So it made it that much more difficult when Dan turned from his reorganizing of tack in the stable to find himself face to face with the quartermaster, the small, almost shy smile on his face taking Dan by surprise.

“Arin,” Dan said, nearly breathlessly as he was startled by the man’s presence but also a little nervous, his chest tightening at the sight of him. It had been nearly a week and a half since he’d last been able to talk to the man, but it felt like much more time had passed. He rubbed his palms against his pants, suddenly self-conscious. He was filthy from working, and probably looked a mess.

“I heard what you did at the pass. I’m…. I… I’m glad you made it back.” The quartermaster shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hands on his hips. Dan smiled despite himself, brushing stray hairs out of his face before forcing his gaze up to meet Arin’s.

“You helped. That little lesson from the day before came in handy.”

Arin’s grin faltered for a moment but recovered, stretching a little too wide, but Dan tried not to think of it.

“I didn’t just track you down to talk about that,” he started, his arms dropping to his side. “I wanted to ask if you’d want to start your lessons again. I know we sort of fell out of the habit during our last days in the valley, but I enjoyed teaching you and-“

“I’d like that,” Dan interrupted, his heart pounding too hard in his chest. “Drill is fine to keep us in shape but… I want to learn how to fight like you and Barry can, like how you two sparred that one morning.”

Arin’s face lit up, the smile that had seemed forced a moment ago suddenly very much real and enthusiastic.

“Then I’ll collect you on the mornings I can spare for you. We might be able to make some time in the afternoons, if that’s alright too?”

“Anything’s fine, whenever you can spare.”

The quartermaster smiled and clapped a hand on Dan’s shoulder, holding there for a moment before letting it slip away. Dan watched him leave, turning out of the stable to head back to the main keep and only once Arin was out of sight did Dan exhale. He felt like shouting or crying or singing and he wasn’t sure why, but the feel of Arin’s hand on his shoulder still burned and he prayed it wouldn’t stop.

 

 

Spring faded to summer, cool, wet days giving way to warm, breezy ones that turned into clear nights. The routine stayed much the same for Dan, but with the addition of Arin’s not-quite-consistent training sessions, there was enough change to keep him from getting bored and complacent with his life with the rebels.

The training sessions themselves evolved quickly from what they had been to the two men talking more than training, Arin asking Dan questions about his life before “all of this mess”, and Dan trying to pry into Arin’s past, which seemed sealed off from even him. Over the course of the summer, he did learn that the keep they were in was called Regent’s Keep, and used to be the summer home of the Queen Regent, before she had been run out of the kingdom. Questions as to why it had been abandoned were left unanswered, Arin simply shrugging, looking off into the distance before starting off on another topic, which Dan decided was his cue to let the subject drop. Questions about Arin’s past were answered similarly, but the quartermaster did offer him a few glimpses; he’d been born in Althanar, but his family had left with other loyal families when the Queen and her children were run out of the Kingdom and into the Elven kingdom. He and Barry had known each other since childhood, and he preferred Elven food over Solimeic food. As much as Dan wanted more, was curious beyond words about the man he found himself spending more and more time with, he wouldn’t budge, and often met Dan’s questions with new topics of conversation.

Instead of Arin’s past, Dan learned more about the history of the Keep and the forest and the Kingdom of Althanar and Suzy and Barry and Mark and Holly than he could keep in his head. He learned that Suzy had trained both Arin and Barry while they grew up in the Elven capitol, that she was the daughter of their War Minister and that out of all of them she was easily the best fighter.  He learned about Brian and Ross, the mages that always seemed tired whenever he saw them and how they had known each other before joining the rebels, and how Brian had been a high-ranking member of the Apophryca, but left because he didn’t believe he should have to solely devote his love and attention to magic when a woman was more deserving of it. Ross, who had been his apprentice, soon followed his mentor’s lead. Last anyone had heard, the Council of Mages had a bounty on their heads.

And while Dan loved hearing the stories Arin told him of the lives his companions and peers lived before joining the rebels, and took some strange enjoyment in trying to pry more out of Arin about himself, as if that would unlock some sort of secret about him that could explain why Dan was so wrapped up in the man, more than anything he loved simply being near Arin, even if they were sitting together in silence, listening to a bird with a particularly soothing song or if they somehow remembered to work on training; with Arin making pointed corrections in Dan’s stance and form, his praises somehow worth more to Dan than any coin he could be offered.

Yet despite all of the time he and Arin spent together,  despite how  close they’d become in the few months they’d been at Regent’s Keep, something in Dan kept Arin at arm’s length. He’d come to the conclusion one night in his bed when he’d been woken up by a particularly… heated dream that involved the quartermaster and a crystal clear pool of water and the perfect way Arin’s lips had met Dan’s that this was something he hadn’t been prepared for. The first time he’d seen the man he’d couldn’t remember being instantly smitten with him, couldn’t recall thinking anything about him more than that he seemed like someone he wanted to help… but when Arin had called him brave and foolish, when he’d handed that cloak pin over to him and told him he was glad that Dan had chosen to be brave and foolish when all his life those were two things Dan had never considered himself to be… that’s where the spark had started, even if he hadn’t realized it then. That had been why he followed him, why he chose to stay with the rebels, why he tried so hard to be brave. He didn’t want to call it love because he wasn’t sure he knew exactly what that was supposed to feel like, but it was something like it.

But therein was Dan’s problem; one that stuck with him from that first night he’d woken up from a dream he wished hadn’t ended to every moment the two men spent together. Arin was still leaps and bounds above Dan – he was a commander, and the Quartermaster for the entire rebel force. Dan couldn’t hold a candle to that ranking, even with the new responsibilities he seemed to find every day, courtesy of Mark. How could it be right for a commander and a foot soldier to be involved like that? The issue had begun to stick more and more in his craw as the summer wore on, the days getting muggy and almost unbearable. It must have begun to show, since Jack cornered him one morning in the stable, demanding to know what sort of stick had been shoved up his ass and how he planned to get it out.

“It’s not- I’m just –“ Dan sputtered, heat rising to his already warm face, his brow sticky with sweat, the day already unbearably muggy. Having his friend’s gaze fixed on him didn’t make anything better. He desperately wanted to leave the stable, but Jack’s stance was a clear indication that that wouldn’t happen until there was a resolution to his liking.

“Is it Arin?” the Southerner asked bluntly, his question hanging in the thick air. “It better be, I put all my money on it with the others.”

Dan stared at the man for a long second, not sure if he was upset about being bet on or thankful for his keen ability to pick up on things.

“It… it is Arin,” Dan said finally deciding he’d have time to be upset later. “I just…I don’t want to cause him problems.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean…. He’s the Quartermaster and I’m just…”

“You. I get it.” Jack said, a grin on his face. Dan shot him a look but let the man continue. “Listen, Dan, I wouldn’t worry about that. There’s a sort of….unspoken rule ‘bout bedsharing in this strange little army they’ve got. If a commander and a regular slog want to spend their time together it’s fine, s’long as when it comes time to fight the commander ain’t tellin’ their lover to retreat while tellin’ everyone else to charge.”

“If that’s the case then why don’t you see other commanders with….slogs?”

“It’s called tact, Daniel. There’s no need to parade an agreement like that around. It’s only for the two or however many involved anyway. Don’t worry about the others, you need to do whatever you need to to get that stick out of your ass.”

“Right, I’ll make it my priority.” Dan muttered, a new heat rising to his face as his friend laughed, leaving him alone in the stable.  While he wasn’t sure he appreciated Jack’s brash and blunt approach to the topic, Dan was relieved to know it was expressly forbidden for him to try and bed his commander, but at the same time it just put a new worry in his head; if it was allowed, and obviously Arin would have known that, if he felt the same way, wouldn’t he have tried to initiate something? Worry flooded into his head but It was silence when Arin’s voice called into the stable, followed soon after by Arin himself, carring a light knapsack on his back, carrying another in his right hand.

“I was going to go out on a patrol today and thought you’d want to get out of the Keep today too.” He said, offering the second knapsack to Dan. Dan took it but held it in his hands.

“What sort of patrol?” he asked, hefting the back in his hands. It was light.

“I want to check the eastern stretch of the woods and check for anything out of the ordinary. You coming or no?”

Dan slung the bag over his shoulder, following after Arin out of the stable, coming to walk next to him as they walked out of the gate and headed east.


	16. sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i just have to tell you that i need you so much these days, it's true.

The woods were quiet, the heat of the day and the weight of the air seeming to keep everything at bay. Arin explained as they walked that a scouting patrol thought they had caught sight of a camp a few nights ago, so now he wanted to see what sort of activity they could spot in the eastern stretches of forest. He rambled on, explaining that he believed it was just hunters, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and that there was something he wanted Dan to see at the edge of the woods, if they managed to get that far in the heat.

The further east they walked, the more dense the trees became, which offered them some shade from the sun, but the air was still thick, and even through the thick foliage dark clouds were evident on the horizon not long after they stopped for a short lunch, produced from the knapsacks they carried.

“We can beat the storm if we hurry,” Arin said, his gaze focused on the clouds. “I haven’t seen any signs of a camp in the direction the scouts thought they saw one, so I think we’re in the clear.”

The quartermaster got to his feet, wrapping up the last of his food before offering a hand to Dan, pulling the thinner man to his feet before continuing on his way through the forest. They walked for a long while before the trees began to grow more sparse, eventually thinning substantially before giving way to the top of a tall grassy hill that sloped down to what looked like rolling pastures. In the hazy distance there were a few villages, but on the far horizon, framed by the angry dark clouds they’d seen earlier, was the silhouette of a city, a central building rising tall from the center.

“What is that?” Dan asked, wiping sweat from his brow. Arin shifted next to him, his gaze also fixed on the silhouette.

“That’s Carnellian, the seat of the King.”

“It’s that close?” Dan said, the shock and worry in his voice obvious. “That can’t be more than a few days away.”

“It’s a three day ride if your horse is fast, a week-long march with a healthy army.” Overhead, thunder rumbled. Arin’s gaze didn’t break from the city, but Dan looked up, examining the sky and the way the clouds were beginning to gather, blotting out the light.

“We should head back.”

“You’re right,” Arin said, turning back to the woods with Dan close behind him. It grew darker as they made their way back into the woods, but thunder was sounding overhead more frequently, and a bright flash told them that the storm they thought they could outrun had caught up to them. In a matter of minutes, the rain joined in, coming down hard, soaking them in seconds, even with the cover of the trees. They walked for an hour with no reprieve, the rain jus tseemed to come down harder with every step.

“We’re going to have to wait the storm out,” Arin said, coming to a stop, trying to find a suitable place to shelter.

“Is that a light, through that brush?” Dan said, pointing towards a small orange glow, just barely visible through the trees and scrub.

“It’s worth a look,” Arin said, turning towards the light, moving carefully through the brush, guiding the way for Dan. The storm seemed to kick up even worse the closer they got to the light, which was housed inside a small cottage nestled into a well-kept man-made clearing. “It’s a farm,” Arin said over the storm, pointing to a small field behind the house, and the barn in front of it. “Maybe we can borrow their hayloft.”

A knock at the door summoned a tired and wary looking man who let them in after a quick once over. He shut the door soundly behind them, asking them their business with a careful tone.

“We’re simply pilgrims on our way to Waynesse, brother.” Arin said, speaking in a gentler tone than normal. “We were hoping to wait out the storm in your hayloft.”

“And that’s all you’re wanting?” the man asked, still eyeing them with suspicion.

“It’s all we’ll ask for.”

“Then I can offer you some food for the night, and my wife has a few extra blankets, so’s you don’t have to wrap yourselves in just hay. You’ll be on your way at first light, I take it.”

“And not a moment after,” Arin said, offering the man a small bow. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s better to make friends these days than enemies,” the farmer said, moving to take a few blankets from a woman who had suddenly appeared out of a backroom. Dan glanced at her, and couldn’t help but notice that she was an elf, her pointed ears only half-hidden by the head wrap she wore. The farmer caught Dan’s stare and seemed to bristle. “There’s too many out there who’d see a family ripped apart to follow the damn King’s expulsion decree.”

“Is he trying to enforce that now?” Arin asked, his voice tense. Surprisingly the farmer seemed to relax upon hearing it and nodded solemnly.

“Ever since things got tense with the Elves in their Kingdom, he’s been tryin’ to kick ‘em all out. Calls ‘em a danger. They haven’t found us here yet, but I worry it’s just a matter of time. With the little ones we couldn’t survive a trip into Elf lands, and who knows if they’d let me in.”

Arin nodded, but Dan glanced around, catching sight of the three small bodies huddled around their mother’s legs as she gathered food up at a small counter. They seemed to cower even further into her skirts when they realized his gaze was on them, and he smiled, trying to reassure them. All he could think of was the innkeeper’s son, and how he’d done the same thing as a child. The farmer’s wife tore herself away from the children to bring over the package of food, handing it to Dan before turning to usher her children to a different part of the house.

“Sorry there isn’t much more to be had, boys,” the farmer said, looking at the package in Dan’s hands. “The crop failed last year.”

“If we had a king worth half a damn, there would have been aid,” Arin said. The farmer simply shook his head and shrugged.

“Hard to say, traveler. I can recall years in my youth when the Queen, Gods rest her soul, was in power. Aid seldom came, even when asked for. Sometimes it feels like it doesn’t matter who has the throne, folks outside the walls of Carnellian are just…pawns.” The farmer handed the blankets to Arin who thanked him again before opening the door for himself and Dan to run through the rain to the barn.

 

The two men climbed the ladder into the loft in record time, darkness covering them as the stripped off wet clothes to wrap themselves in the dry blankets, the hay around them creating a warm nest. Lightening flashed, illuminating them both for a moment. Dan couldn’t help but notice the somber look Arin wore, and he frowned.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, shifting in place. There was a long silence before Arin spoke.

“I grew up hearing stories about the Queen’s rule, and how she was unfairly pushed out of her Kingdom, and I always thought that I knew the depth and breadth of her rule. I was always taught that she was fair and just and did everything she could for her people.”

“You…you really thought like that?” Dan asked, his voice inching on incredulous. The Innkeeper’s stories of the Queen’s rule before the Council’s and subsequently Jon’s rule painted a picture of a mostly reasonable ruler, but there was still suffering, children still went hungry some years, crime and corruption went unpunished in most villages where a judge couldn’t be found.

“I suppose I grew up around and learned from people who were loyal to her, to a fault. Of course they’ll paint the brightest picture. It’s just… It’s almost disheartening to hear things like that.”

“But wouldn’t you rather know that truth of it, than still be ignorant?” Dan asked. “Won’t you want to take that back to the Prince, when we get his throne back, so he can be the best ruler he can?”

Lightning flashed again, and in the brief moment of light, Dan could see a smile playing across Arin’s face, his expression soft and pointed towards him.

“You’re right Dan. Truth, even painful truth is more valuable and worthwhile than a gentle lie.” There was another pause, and then the rustling of hay. “I’m glad you’re with me, Dan. And I don’t mean stuck in this hayloft. I mean… I’m glad you’re on our side.”

“Well, the hayloft isn’t so bad either, is it?” The question came out in a tone Dan didn’t quite intend, but it made the pause after it that much sharper, that much more expectant. Dan spoke again, this time softer, gentler. Somehow, this moment seemed better than any other for the question he was about to ask. “Arin, I’ve always…enjoyed the time we spend together, but I can’t help by wonder why, exactly, you always chose to spend it with me.”

“I suppose,” Arin started, shifting in the hay again. “I’ve always thought that if I had time to spare, that I’d want to spend it being around people I…care about, doing things I enjoy doing.” His words were cautious and carefully chosen. Dan could feel heat rising to his cheeks, a shiver passing over him. He wasn’t sure if it was the chill from the rain, or something else.

“Why would you care about someone like me?” Dan asked, barely more than a whisper, the words tumbling out of him faster than he could stop them.  He might have even meant them just for himself to hear, but in a heartbeat Arin was leaning in closer to him, the distance between their bodies becoming less and less.

“How could I not care about someone like you? You risked the only life you’d ever known to save us from our enemies, you show more heartfelt, sincere courage than any other fighter I know, and when you look at me I-“ Arin stopped short, and Dan wanted to ask him to continue, wanted him so desperately to say what he was thinking but he couldn’t form words. Instead, he closed the space between them, cautiously, tentatively- and pressed his lips to Arin’s. The man didn’t pull back – in fact he leaned into it, blankets falling away so skin could meet skin. After a long moment they pulled apart, breathing heavy, the air around them weighted from the storm, lending the air a dense feeling, like their emotions were tangible around them.

“What did you mean to say, before….that?” Dan asked, voice low and quiet, his hands tracing the skin on Arin’s arms, mapping them in the dark, finding paths between slight scars left behind by unknown forces. Lightning flashed, illuminating them for half a moment. Arin’s gaze was fixed on Dan, longing and admiring.

“When you look at me, I feel like everything falls away. All of my worry, every what if, this entire war… If I ever want to put those things behind me, I just need to see you.”

Dan’s grip tightened on Arin’s arms as he pulled himself closer again, kissing him hard. Somewhere in his heart he knew he was trying to earn Arin’s kind words, to make sure he deserved them. Arin responded by pulling him down with him, landing both of them in the hay, blankets cast aside and tracts of skins pressed together. Dan was suddenly keenly aware of their bodies and just how they were being held against each other and the way Arin pulled him closer, desperately trying to keep him near and just how neatly they fit into one another. It took him by surprise when Arin suddenly rolled them over so that he could hover over the slimmer boy, caging him in with his body.

“Do you remember that last lesson in the valley, before you got sent up the mountain?”

“I’ll never be able to forget it.” Dan said, reaching up to tuck a lock of Arin’s hair behind his ear.

“I was so afraid of losing you to that plan, it was the only thing I could do to try and protect you without telling you to run. You weren’t even mine to lose, but damn it I was afraid.”

“You don’t have to be afraid now,” Dan said, pulling Arin down to cover his body, pressing their mouths together again, the wet sounds hidden by the storm still raging outside. “You won’t lose me here.”

“Promise me,” Arin breathed into his mouth, kissing him hard in the meantime.

“I swear on my life.” Dan said, groaning when Arin’s hips met his, their cocks brushing together, the slight friction more than enough to set Dan off. Arin pulled away to kneel over Dan’s body, grinning down at him like a victor over his spoils. He traced gentle patterns down body, causing the slimmer man to twitch under his touch, hungry for more, for anything that Arin would give him.

The quartermaster slid down Dan’s body, dipping his head to envelope the slim man’s dick in his mouth, his tongue tracing a staggered line along the underside, stopping only when Dan’s hip’s jerked, pushing it deeper into Arin’s mouth.

“Arin, fuck, please-“ Dan’s words were stopped short when Arin, having adjusted, continued his work; slowly pulling his mouth back up Dan’s cock, suckling just slightly on the head before working his way back down, repeating the entire process until Dan was begging him to stop, pleading because he was this close to coming and he didn’t want it to be over, not yet so Arin did as he was asked. Instead, he moved to slide their cocks together again, his large hands wrapping around both of them, just barely making it around, his spit coating Dan’s dick making them slide together easily. Dan’s pleading kicked back in, his hips jerking spastically, out of his control, his body about to betray him.

“Dan, I want to see you come,” Arin muttered still jerking both of them off in long, slow strokes, his calloused fingers paying extra attention to Dan’s slit, carefully plying an orgasm out of the smaller man. “I need to see you come. It’s kept me awake at night,” Arin’s voice was low and husky and demanding and Dan couldn’t help but obey as Arin’s fingers pulled at him just right, coating Arin’s stomach and hand with sticky white fluid. Without hesitating Arin lifted his hand to his mouth, cleaning it off with his tongue. Dan watched languidly, breathing hard, his cock still twitching, still too sensitive but he wanted Arin to touch him again, wanted Arin to kiss him, to hold him down and fuck him until he couldn’t walk.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” Arin asked, leaning back down to kiss Dan, his words soft and mumbled. “I’ve never seen a body curve more perfectly than yours when you come. I’ve never heard better sounds than when you moan.”

“I could do it all again,” Dan muttered, kissing Arin back as he pressed his hips up into his. “I’d do it all again for you.”

“Can I fuck you?” Arin groaned, his hands travelling down Dan’s body to his hips, pressing his fingers there.

“Y-you have to be slow,” Dan said, his voice quiet and nervous, but Arin looked up his body, his eyes meeting Dan’s in the near dark they’d both become accustomed to. Dan swallowed hard, his hands stretched lazily over his head. “I’ve never… You’ll be the first.”

“I’ll go as slow as you need,” Arin whispered, brushing a kiss against Dan’s forehead before flipping the smaller man onto his front, leaving his ass exposed. Dan could hear an indistinct sucking noise before there was suddenly a finger pressed against him. He tensed involuntarily, and he felt a hand run down his spine in a gentle, comforting motion.

“You have to relax and let me in. The more you relax the better it’ll be.” Arin’s voice was still low, still husky and full of desire but there was a commanding tone that Dan hadn’t heard before. He did as he was told, relaxing enough for Arin to slip one finger inside, slowly, carefully moving the digit before adding a second.

“You’re so tight,” Arin groaned, the lust palpable in his voice. Dan groaned in return,  Arin’s fingers hooking into him before spreading apart as best they could, stretching out the smaller man. “I’m going to add a third.”

Dan could only groan in response as his body accepted a third finger from Arin, the man staying still, letting the body clenching tight around over half his hand adjust to this new invasion.

“I want you inside me,” Dan groaned, finally daring to push his hips back onto Arin’s hand. He hissed at the pleasure, shaking his hips just enough to alleviate the pressure there.

“Are you ready?”

“Gods, fuck, yes please.” Dan groaned, lifting his hips for Arin. The larger man ran his free hand down Dan’s back, pressing at the base of his spine before moving down to his ass, pressing hard as he slid his fingers out of Dan’s ass. The man moaned unabashedly, his cock hardening again at the feeling. He wanted to rut against something, anything, but his thoughts were torn away when he felt Arin’s cock slide into his ass.

“You’re….fuck, Dan you’re so tight.” Arin groaned, stopping himself from thrusting into the smaller man, waiting for the go-ahead.

“You…. You need to move,” Dan finally panted, turning to look at Arin as he rolled his hips forward, pressing his cock deeper into Dan’s ass. Met with no complaint, Arin slowly upped the pace, his hips rolling quicker against Dan’s ass, pressing as deep as he could go, his hands gripping tight to the slim man’s hips. The lewd sound of skin slapping against skin was muffled by the rustling of hay, further covered by the thunder that still rolled overhead, while Arin continued to pick up his pace, Dan becoming like a rag doll under him, the pleasure too much for him to stand up to. When Arin wrapped an arm around Dan, his hand finding Dan’s cock again, the smaller man yelped, his hips bucking out of his control at the overwhelming feeling.

“You’re perfect,” Arin breathed, pulling fast and hard at Dan’s cock, causing him to spill his seed all over Arin’s hand again, this orgasm much stronger than the other had been, Dan’s voice as loud as the thunder as he chanted Arin’s name as if he was a god. Arin’s own thrusts became erratic as his orgasm threatened to manifest, his pace unrelenting. When it finally arrived, Arin was buried hilt deep in Dan’s ass. His seed filled the slim man, leaving sticky ropes of come behind as he slid out, gritting his teeth and hissing at the feeling of too much, too much, too soon. Dan laid still, his body still twitching every few seconds, his breath still trying to even out. He could feel his heart rattling against his ribcage and  Arin’s come seeping from him. At just the time he thought he could get up to clean himself off, Arin was there, a cloth from one of their lunches out from a knapsack, now being used to clean Dan up, wiping away the extra cum.

“How do you feel?” Arin asked, as he wadded the cloth up and slid it into a smaller pocket on the knapsack, his voice low and spent. Just the sound of it made Dan smile, enough so that he forgot about the burning ache in his hips and ass.

“I’ll be better once you come back here.”

“I wasn’t too rough, was I?” Arin said, picking his discarded blanket up from where it’d been left when all this had started. He laid down next to Dan and wrapped the two of them up, pulling the other man close.

“No, you weren’t. I’ll be fine.” Dan let himself settle against Arin’s chest, content to hear his heartbeat, his breathing. “You were perfect.”

“I’m anything but,” the quartermaster said, his voice quiet, just loud enough for Dan to hear. “We need to sleep. We have a long walk back tomorrow.”

“It might be slow going,” Dan mumbled, suddenly self-conscious. Arin chuckled and lazy planted kisses on Dan’s head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll carry you once we’re out of sight of the farm.”

Dan tried to think of something smart to shoot back, but the haze of sleep caught him before he could find the words. Outside, the storm moved on and the distant, quiet rumbles of thunder were the only things that remained.


	17. seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How quickly can a daydream come crashing down?

Dan was awoken the next morning by gentle shoves from Arin, the man already dressed, quietly motioning for Dan to follow suit. The slim man reached for his clothes, suddenly aware of all the sore points on his body. He grit his teeth, moving as quickly as he could to follow Arin down the rough-hewn ladder and out of the barn. The sun was just barely beginning to color the sky as they made their way away from the farm, their voices joining the chorus of birdsong in the crisp morning air.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Arin asked, his lips curling into a sly grin as Dan seemed to wince at every step.

“M’sore,” he muttered, grinning sheepishly back at Arin. “Not that I’m complaining, though.”

“I’ll carry you back if I have to,” Arin teased, reaching out to lightly punch Dan in the arm. The playful hit melted down Dan’s arm, where Arin’s hand found his palm. Without a word, their fingers locked together and just then neither of them wanted to break the comfortable silence that settled between them.

The walk back to Regent’s Keep was slow, maybe even leisurely. They took a slow pace, always keen to be as near to each other as possible, as if they had to make up for lost time. Dan couldn’t get enough of feeling Arin’s calloused hand in his, the way his fingers laced in perfectly with his own. For once, Arin seemed completely relaxed; his smile was wider than Dan could remember ever seeing it, his laugh came easier. The sun that began to stream through the thick canopy of leaves cast shadows over both of them that seemed to lock them in their own world. For awhile, Dan was able to forget everything outside of standing next to Arin – there was no Keep to return to, no war, no King with an unjust rule, no rebel army waiting to make a move. It was just Daniel and Arin, their hands pressed together, a stolen kiss here and there, the bruises on Dan’s body little trophies of a battle he didn’t know he’d been fighting but that he knew he’d won.

So when Arin pulled him to a stop with the Keep just visible through the trees and kissed him hard, Dan was snapped back to reality, and it came rushing back like flood water. When Arin pulled away, Dan watched him, waiting for a cue to follow.

“I’m glad you agreed to come with me,” Arin said, his voice quiet, as if someone would hear him. Dan shifted, his body still protesting movement.

“I’m glad too…” he trailed off, but his gaze panned towards the Keep. As if reading his mind, Arin traced fingers along Dan’s jaw, pulling his attention back to him.

“Are you worried what people will say?”

“Jack told me it wasn’t something to worry about, but…”

“it can stay between us. I won’t let on, if that’s what you want.”

Dan’s eyes met Arin’s and held for a long moment; to be honest, Dan didn’t know what he wanted, right in that moment, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Jack’s words about tact suddenly rang loud and clear. The slim man nodded and Arin’s hand fell back to his side, a gently expression still on his face.

“Let’s head back. Mark is probably looking for you, while Barry and Suzy….”

“I don’t think either of us is going to have it easy when we get back.”

“But it’ll have been worth it, won’t it?” Arin said, winking at Dan. The look that had slid onto the quartermaster’s face put a slow burn in the pit of Dan’s stomach and he mentally cursed the man.

“Easily. Whatever punishment Mark doles out…. I’ll take it.”

The men laughed as they started through the trees, cutting a meandering trail through the brush to the old stone walls of the Keep. It grew eerily quieter and quieter as the approached, as if the birds and noise of the forest was getting farther and farther away.

“Brian and Ross must have reset their spells over the Keep,” Arin said, passing through the first gate on the outer wall, Dan close behind him.

“I always guessed there was some magic that make things quieter around the Keep.”

“It’s like a shell, it’s meant to keep our noise inside it. Things can pass through the shell, obviously, but-“

Arin was cut short by the dull roar of the crowds assembled in the main courtyard of the Keep. Groups of soldiers from different companies grouped together, talking amongst themselves and casting offhanded glances to the two as they passed the second gate on the inner wall. Almost instantly, Suzy descended on them. When she spoke, her voice seemed tight, like she was trying not to speak too loudly.

“Word came from my father late last night. King Jon is threatening war with the Elves unless he can meet with the Elven Council, the leaders of the Rebellion and the Prince.”

“So your father is asking us to be present for this…meeting.” Arin said, all happiness gone from his voice.

“Arin we must be. If we’re going to keep up the façade that we took our forces back into Elven lands, we need to be there, and well before he arrives.”

“When are we leaving?”

“As soon as your horse is saddled.”

Without another word Suzy turned away, shouting something in Elven to Barry who appeared from a side courtyard. Dan’s attention was immediately back to Arin, who was also watching Suzy and Barry speak.

“So you’re leaving?”

“I have to.”

“How long will you be gone?”

“It’s hard to say. It’ll take us a few days to get to Duetiri, but these meetings…. They’re often drawn out ordeals. We’ll have to stay as long as necessary to keep this a secret.” Arin said, gesturing to the Keep around them, to the soldiers buzzing with talk and speculation. Now that Dan knew what it was all about, there was almost a tangible sense of worry in the air. Arin’s hand lifted to brush a stray lock of Dan’s hair from his face.

“Your hair’s much longer now than when I first met you,” he said, almost absently.

“Should I cut it, for when you come back?”

“I wouldn’t recognize you if you did.” Arin grinned, letting his hand linger at Dan’s face for just a moment before letting it drop. A moment later a soldier Dan didn’t recognize brought Arin’s horse to him, offering the tall man the reins. Behind Arin’s horse, Barry and Suzy’s were also lead out, waiting for their riders. The two commanders came forward for their mounts, and the courtyard fell to a hush, waiting for words from them. Barry spoke, his words loud and clear as he addressed the crowd of rebel soldiers.

“We ride to Duetiri to meet with King Jon, the Elven Council, and the rightful Prince of Althanar.” A cheer rose up at the mention of the Prince, but it quieted quickly, and Barry spoke again. “We leave the commanders of Horse Company, Sword Company, and Shield Company as stewards of these forces until we return.”

The bearded man swung himself up onto his horse, the Elf woman following suit. Arin turned back to Dan one last time, as if trying to delay their departure, or think of one last thing to say. Dan beat him to the punch, smiling wryly at the man, fighting the urge to kiss him as he recited the first lines of an old toast honoring to Kingdom, a blessing he hadn’t heard at the Inn in years, but seemed fitting now.

“Long live the Prince,” he muttered, his hands fidgeting together in front of him. “Long live Althanar.”

“Let her enemies fall at our feet, let her friends find rest at our fire.” Arin said, his voice low. There was a brief second where Dan thought Arin meant to say something else, but the moment passed and he swung up onto his horse, following Suzy and Barry as they tore off our of the gates, riding out of the Keep and into the woods. Dan watched them go, waited until he couldn’t see them coursing through the trees before he turned towards his bunk, the heaviness in his heart more than he bargained for.

 

 “Are you sick or are you mopin’?” Jack asked, hovering over Dan’s bunk. Dan had retreated there after Arin and the others left and decided to not move until someone, anyone came to find him. He’d spent some time staring at the ceiling, but was secretly glad it was Jack that came for him. He didn’t want to have to explain things to Mark. Not yet at least.

“Can’t I do both?” Dan said, groaning as he forced himself to sit up.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Jack said, his voice matter-of-fact if not a little proud. Dan, thankful his back was to other man, blushed, but nodded his head.  The shorter man whooped, and muttered something about someone owing him before me moved to look Dan in the face by sitting on the bunk across from him.

“Was it everything you ever hoped it would be?”

“What sort of question is that?” Dan asked, wanting to be offended, but finding it impossible to be. Jack just shrugged.

“It’s poor luck then that he had to leave so quick. I can understand your moping around, then.”

“I’m glad someone does. I was worried Mark would come looking for me first. I don’t know if I want to explain….everything to him. Not yet at least.”

“Don’t worry about Mark, Dan. He’s occupied with having to run everything with those two gull-brains. H e’ll forget you were missing a night before he sees you again.”

“A small comfort,” Dan said, falling back on his bunk. The sore muscles he’d managed to loosen up by walking earlier in the day were tight again, the new round of soreness more uncomfortable than before. There was a long silence, interrupted by the sound of hammers against anvils coming into the barracks on the breeze. “I’m still worried…about Arin. About meeting with Jon.”

“Fair concerns. You’re always going to worry about ‘em when they have to do things like that.” Jack’s voice was quieter now, more reserved and Dan closed his eyes again. “You just have to…trust ‘em, I suppose. Sometimes you can forget we’re not here to fuck, we’re here to fight a war. Priorities can shift so quickly.”

Dan didn’t respond, only kept his eyes closed, picturing Arin’s face in his mind’s eye. He wondered how far they’d get today yet, riding as hard as they had been. He wondered if they were going to use the same path he’d been on when they’d left the Cliffside Keep. He wondered if the King was trying to set a trap. He stopped himself there, unwilling to let his mind fall prey to such a thing.

“There’s work to do,” Dan said, sitting up, albeit a little too quickly. He winced and Jack laughed, standing up from his spot on the bed. “If I think about it too much it’ll be the death of me.”

“And I don’t want to have to explain your death to Arin. Besides, I know some saddles that need new fittings and a bit that could use a new lead.”

Dan grinned at Jack’s impromptu list of work, thankful for the distraction. For now, it would be enough.


	18. eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> reunions are nothing new for Dan and plans to be set in motion are as common as muscle memory.

Weeks crawled by. There was tension in the air the day the three commanders had left, and it remained there the entire time they were absent, growing every day, putting everyone on edge. Mark and the other interim commanders were fully occupied with their roles, constantly attending to tasks that Barry and Suzy had left for them while leaving the daily work in the hands of their seconds. This left a lot of freedom for everyone else, and while at any other time Dan would have been glad to have less of an eye on him, he felt restless and useless, not knowing what was going on – not knowing where Arin was or how he was doing.

Jack tried his best to keep finding things to distract Dan, knowing his struggle when the other members of Horse Company did not, but after awhile there was only so much he could do. Dan took to spending his free time prowling the walkways on the walls, watching the woods for any out of place motion, any sign that they were coming back. Every day it was the same, still woods.

During this time the leaves began to change and the air grew colder and colder each night, and word began to fly through the Companies that the commanders would be snowed in, the trails and passes blocked, leaving them unable to sneak back out of the Elf Kingdom. Dan was almost angry at these rumors, as if it was ridiculous to even think that that would stop them from making their way back. He tried to channel this unfounded, frustrating anger back into training, trying to think what Arin would say about his stance, his form, but often his mind just reverted to Arin saying other things which always seemed to devolve back to the night in the hayloft. Nothing got accomplished when his mind wandered that way.

One morning found him in a side courtyard where they’d taken to setting up dummies for drill, trying to replicate a move one of the senior members of Sword Company had shown him a few nights back. It was a move that reminded Dan of the match he’d seen between Arin and Barry back in the valley; it looked less like an attack and more like a dance, and focusing on perfecting it was proving to be good for him. He counted out the steps as the veteran had shown him, moving his sword arm and feet in perfect harmony. It pulled him into a nearly meditative state; the mindless focus of breathing in and out, counting one…two… three… parry, turn, slice, that he didn’t notice Jack standing in the entrance to the courtyard until Dan fully turned around and found himself face to face with the shorter man. The grin on his face was wide, and Dan guessed his words before they even slipped past Jack’s lips.

“He’s back.”

The taller man almost thought to ask Jack to repeat himself, but the words finally clicked and the two ran off through the halls, emerging into the main courtyard just in time to see Barry and Suzy enter, followed by Arin. They seemed tired yet glad to be home, no looks passing between Barry and Suzy betraying any hidden concern or worry. Arin seemed the worst, though; like he hadn’t slept in days and there was an expression of sadness on his face that Dan immediately wanted to kiss away but he held back, standing away from the crowd to give him the time he needed. They’d agreed to keep what was between them to themselves, but Dan’s palms itched at the thought of being able to touch Arin again. The quartermaster looked around the courtyard once he reigned in his horse, his gaze moving surreptitiously; when he met Dan’s eyes, a grin crept across his face and Dan could feel his heart in his throat. Arin glanced at Barry and Suzy, who were talking with Mark and the other commanders as they slid off their horses, already distracted by filling each other in on details. Arin glanced back to Dan and made a small motion with his head; a silent cue to follow, which Dan was happy to obey.

Dan stayed a few steps behind, letting the crowd move around him as he followed the commanders into the main keep. He slipped in the door and caught sight of Barry and Mark rounding a corner further ahead, but a strong hand caught his arm before he could follow, and it pulled him down a different, darker hallway that sloped up, turning into curving steps as they ascended a tower.

“I started to think you were going to spend the winter with the Elves,” Dan said, breathless from the climb. They hit a landing and Arin stopped, turning to face Dan, equally breathless.

“I couldn’t stand to be there another day. I would have burrowed through the mountain if I had had to…”

Dan watched Arin’s face for a moment, not sure how to read what the man had just said. Instead of dwelling on it, however, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Arin’s mouth, the response quick and intense, their bodies meeting and pressing together. They pulled apart long enough for Arin to lead Dan into a doorway instead of further up the tower, pulling him down a new hall, opening a door a few feet down before shutting it behind them, his hands roving.

“I missed you,” Dan muttered, hands moving to undress Arin, the quartermaster doing the same for him.

“I’m sorry I left so quickly,” Arin answered, pushing Dan down onto the bed to crawl over him. “Let me make it up to you.”

 

Hours later the two men were tangled together on the same bed, wrapped and burrowed in blankets that shielded them from the world: Dan held one of Arin’s hands in both of his, memorizing it’s shape and every scar and callous while Arin absently tangled and untangled his fingers in Dan’s hair.

“Did things go well, in Duetiri?” Dan asked, hesitant to bring them back to reality, but curiosity winning out over his resistance. Arin sighed slowly, but didn’t move or stop what he was doing.

“As well as they could have gone. Jon…the King is…he’s impulsive and quick to make enemies and I think he’s underestimating just how strong Elven forces are. Good thing is now he’s so focused on this new offence with the Elves, hopefully he’ll forget about the rebels.”

“Does he think we’re in Nyrsonnop yet?”

“He does. Seeing all of us there sealed it for him. He doesn’t realize just how deep the alliance we have with the Elves runs. Given time, talk of rebels will die down and he won’t think that we’re lying in wait for him just a short march from his capitol.”

Dan smiled at the obviously prideful tone in Arin’s voice, but Dan didn’t say anything else for a long moment, his thoughts seeming to begin to churn at the other man words. There was a bigger plan at work and while Dan was content to just bask in the warmth shared between them and stay hidden away from the world, the war had found its way back in and was eating away at his thoughts.

“Is that the plan, then?” Dan asked, pushing himself closer to Arin. “Wait and see?”

“Suzy and Barry want to wait until spring, they think that’ll be enough time. We just have to lay low.”

“It’ll make for a restless winter.”

“I can think of a few ways to keep you occupied,” Arin said, his voice low and Dan laughed against his chest, happy to have him back, to have him at all.

“Good thing you’ll have all winter to show me.”


	19. nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> on the eve of battle, how can you calm a racing heart and mind?

Leaves turned and the nights grew colder, leaving frost on windows that gave way to snow. That winter at Regents Keep was, as Dan had privately predicted, a restless one.

Early in the season, Holly returned to the Keep. She had separated from the group during the escape from the valley to begin conducting a covert state of the kingdom mission, moving from town to town and taking in their rumors and gossip, listening in to conversations from the shadowy corners of the taverns she happened across. She arrived back to the Keep during the first snowfall, her horse too thin and the woman herself seemingly exhausted and concerned. She had gone directly to the commanders, having left her shaking horse in the hands of nearby stable hands and the word later got out what had caused her to come back to headquarters so quickly and in such poor shape: King Jon had begun to amass forces in Waynesse, fortifying the border between Althanar and Nyrsonnop. According to her sources, the forces remaining in Carnellian were less than a quarter of the King’s total army, meaning the capitol was weak and under-guarded.

While this was welcome news, it meant that they would have to double down on keeping a low profile:  one of the most direct routes for the King’s forces to take to get to the mountain city of Waynesse passed just a few scant miles south of their position. Holly wasn’t sure if she had managed to miss the migrating army, but it was a certainty that there would be movement on the road, and any misstep on the rebel’s part now could be the end of the Prince’s secret campaign. This sit-and-wait game made those first few weeks of true winter unbearably tense. Even with the mage’s spells to keep their sound contained, everyone seemed to remain quiet, moving slowly and carefully as if somehow some extra noise, one too-loud mistake would slip past the barrier and betray them.  

At Barry’s suggestion, newly created scouting rotations gave the rebels a chance to sit near the edge of the forest, watching the road to the south, watching what seemed like a steady stream of soldiers march by, all heading towards the same place. Dan hated the scouting missions; it felt too risky to be sitting so close, but not once was any contingency seen while on guard. It was a small boon in an otherwise unbearable and uncomfortable winter.

Slowly, laboriously, winter passed, fading into a cold, wet spring. Jon’s forces had long since finished their treks towards Waynesse but the scouting rotations didn’t end, the rebels moving further and further out of the woods, little by little, trying to get an understanding of the land around them. It seemed like the threat of war was more than enough to tip the kingdom into despair – those who suffered before seemed to suffer worse, and the King’s Officers had become crueler in their task to weed out every last elf in Althanar. The people were unhappy, weak, and afraid, and this affected the rebels, causing their moods to match those of the people of Althanar.  In time if felt as if the entirety of the kingdom was one restless being, waiting for the right moment to move, to thrash and create change.

 

One morning in late spring found Dan curled into himself in Arin’s bed – they’d spent most of the winter curled into each other during the nights and it had begun to feel strange when Dan spent the night alone in the bunks with his company, the warmth of the quartermaster’s body profoundly absent from his side. Today, though, Dan was nested into the bed alone; Arin stood at the small window in his quarters, pouring water from a plain metal jug into a basin to wash his face. Dan watched the other man at his task, appreciating the naked curves of Arin’s shoulders and back, and wishing silently that he hadn’t already put his pants on. The silence between the two men was comfortable and safe, but there was something hanging in the air around Arin that even Dan couldn’t ignore.

As Arin turned away from the basin, coming back to sit on the edge of the bed and pull on his boots, Dan sat up, letting blankets pool around his hips.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, not moving to touch Arin; simply waiting for an answer.

The man finished pulling on and lacing his boots before he spoke, sighing just slightly as he sat up, not looking at Dan.

“A messenger came in late last night, from Duetiri.” Arin said, his voice flat. Dan shifted, waiting for more. A messenger from the Elves wasn’t anything new or extraordinary. The message they carried, however…

“Jon’s forces have begun to push into Nyrsonnop, Maeliro’s already surrendered to their control, but they’re still Marching up to Duetiri.”

“So it’s war.”

“It’s war, outright and with the Elves.”

Dan swallowed hard, moving to the edge of the bed to begin pulling his own clothes on. This was more than he had bargained for, if he was being honest. This was what they had been waiting for all winter. This was the push that put their plan back into motion. Dan knew what was next, but a sudden fear swelled in him.

“We’re moving out to attack Carnellian tomorrow.”

“We could leave, Arin.” Dan said, speaking before he could catch himself, his voice shaking more than he wanted but betraying exactly how he felt. “Why do we have to fight? The Elves can take care of Jon and the Prince can take his throne back and we… you and I, we can go anywhere else. Away from this.” Dan had flown around the bed, coming to stand in front of Arin, positioning himself between Arin’s legs, draping long arms over his shoulders. Arin’s hands found Dan’s hips and his forehead came to rest against Dan’s chest. There was a long silence that was broken by Arin’s voice, quiet and broken and so unlike him that Dan wasn’t sure what to think.

“I had a brother who was stolen away by the King. He was promised…so much but instead he was given lies. He was deceived and manipulated and I want- I need to save him.”

“I didn’t know,” Dan whispered, dipping his head to kiss the top of Arin’s. He smelled of sweat and woodsmoke and something distinctly Arin and there was a sudden ache in Dan’s chest. Why hadn’t Arin brought his brother up before?

“I would never… ever tell you to not walk away from this, if you didn’t believe in it anymore. If you want to leave-“

“No.” Dan said, pulling away from Arin’s grip. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll fight next to you until there’s no fight left in me.”

Arin looked up at Dan, his gaze steady and serious, his hands finding the slim man’s and tangling together to pull him down into a deep kiss that broke too soon, left too much unsaid.

 

 

As promised, the rebels marched out of Regent’s Keep the next morning, moving carefully and quietly through the woods, the early morning eerily foggy and cold. No one spoke except a few words here and there to nearby comrades, and Dan felt anxious and antsy with their pace. He found himself in rank with Jack and a few other members of Horse Company, their only orders so far to make it through the woods and then reconvene t o march out once they cleared the thick forest. It was slow going, as the ground was soft and the mud was thick with the overabundance of spring rain. The last of the rebel’s forces broke through the final tree line at mid-day, the fog cleared and the view of Carnellian was clear.

“It feels so…final.” Jack said, speaking for the first time all day as they  watched Carnellian, thick white clouds rolling through the sky behind it. Dan could only nod in agreement. He looked around for Arin but the man was nowhere to be seen.  Inevitably, his gaze was drawn back to the capitol city, like he couldn’t escape it and it’s finality. He wondered just how final the city would prove to be.

The troops marched for a week, moving along less-used roads, passing by as many villages as possible to keep the attention off of them as best as they could. It was impossible to move an entire force unseen through the kingdom, but the fewer people that saw them, the better. On the last day of the march, they were called to a halt in a little valley made by foothills a few miles from the outer walls of Carnellian, the orders to set up camp flying through the ranks faster than the wind. In record time, a small field of isolated campfires with haphazard sleeping pallets arranged around them appeared as darkness crept over the land.

Compared to the march, the overall mood in the camp was almost…joyful as food was prepared and shared, secret stashes of ale or wine appeared and as talk died down someone began to sing, another joining in with a lute or drum.

Dan had eaten with Mark and Jack and the rest of Horse Company, but was too restless to stay with them. He hadn’t seen Arin at all during the march, and there was a desperate need in him to just…look at the man. To just see how he looked, to read his face. A few shrugs and pointed directions put him on the edge of Arin’s fire. The quartermaster was alone, a small journal in his hands that he was writing in with decisive strokes.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Dan said, his voice quiet. They were far enough away from other fires, but he still felt exposed. Arin looked up in surprise before closing his journal and offering a crooked smile to the slim man.

“Not at all. How was the march?”

“Muddy. But we survived it.” Dan said, lowering himself to sit near Arin, leaning against a crate set at the edge of the firelight. Somehow, he felt awkward and formal, like they’d been apart too long and he didn’t know how to talk to him anymore. There was a stark silence before Arin spoke again, glancing over to Dan.

“Are you… how are you feeling?”

Dan didn’t know how to answer. He was relieved to see Arin, elated even but at the back of his mind was that shadow of what tomorrow would bring, what would have to be done. He wanted to tell Arin he felt fine, he was confident, he was ready, but none of those things were true.

“I’m… I don’t know,” he finally said, rubbing his hands over his face. Arin nodded like he knew exactly what Dan meant, but said nothing else.

They stayed quiet for a long while; the campfire was sputtering out; glowing embers offering so little light that Dan could barely make out Arin’s form leaning against his own crate unloaded from the provisions. From another fire, someone started singing another slow, quiet song that Dan didn’t recognize.  After a few notes, Arin spoke.

“My mother used to sing this song to me, as a lullaby,” Arin said, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the singing. Dan listened closer, straining to hear the words. They came at a strange cadence, with words that sounded vaguely familiar but that he couldn’t place.

“It’s…very pretty,” he finally offered, and it wasn’t a lie. The melody itself was haunting and seemed to echo in his mind, the lingering notes hanging on in an eerie way.

“It’s sung in Elven,” Arin said, as if picking up on Dan’s inability to understand the words. “Suzy’s pronunciations are a little different from the version my mother sang, though.”

“What does it mean?”

“Roughly, it’s a song that talks about someone the singer loves. Most people here sing the last two verses with it and then it turns into a song of longing for someone left behind, or who’s left the singer behind.”

“What are the words, in Elven?” Dan asked, the singer’s voice getting quieter. “I mean, you don’t have to-“

“They’re about to start the last verse,” Arin said, cutting Dan off. The slim man shut his mouth, waiting for Arin to continue. Then, at the same time as the singer at the other fire, Arin began to sing.

“ _U iysd lyr oola duaeerho mi urd ta sio eeur_  
Mo eltmae i moul otleho un e totila  
Moa eloo mi isd ta oelm il to  
En U eo nilr yvir mo aeeln mi oov mouln lait elt”

There was a long moment of silence after the last note, voices from other fires that had joined the song dying out at small intervals, like a wave moving over the camp. Dan shivered, and absently wished there was more fuel for the fire, more time to enjoy it’s warmth. He heard Arin sigh, a quiet, personal sound that he wondered if he was even meant to have heard.

“What did that mean, what you just sang?” Dan asked. He wanted to slide closer to the man, but he wondered how out of line that would be. Then again, considering what had happened before they left Regent’s Keep, it wouldn’t be too wild of a move. But others were around, even if they were alone at their fire. Without a doubt, somewhere, someone was watching. Dan kept his distance.

“Literally, it comes out as something close to, ‘I would run every distance to find my love again, the warmth of their embrace is a memory. They agree to hold my heart for me as I have sworn upon the stars to keep theirs from harm’.  It’s not so… heavy handed in Elven. It’s hard to articulate the meaning with words.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elven is an emotional language. What they have a phrase for, is a certain kind of touch for humans, or the way they emphasize a word is a furrowed brow. That song is like that. Humans don’t have words to approximate a translation, but actions.”

“…Can you show me?” Dan asked, his voice low. In the barely-there glow of the fire, he could see Arin shift to sit up, turning to look towards the older man.

“You want me to?” He asked, his own voice matching Dan’s.

“Please,” was the best Dan could breathe out when Arin was suddenly next to him, his body pressed close. Dan didn’t move but to quake ever so slightly when Arin brought a hand up to trace his jawline, his finger leaving warm trails where they passed. Dan barely had time to register Arin’s touches when a kiss was pressed to his lips. It was a strong kiss, but tender and all-encompassing. Dan fitted himself into Arin and the quartermaster held him, but there was a distance between them that Dan couldn’t explain, a bittersweet chasm born from farewells that waited with daybreak but that neither wanted to speak, of a promise they both knew was easily broken. When Arin pulled away, Dan’s chest ached and he had to stop himself from reaching out to Arin, from touching him to remind himself that he was still next to him, still alive, still with him.

“That isn’t… It isn’t a happy verse, is it?” 

Arin shook his head gently, his grin wry.

“Can I… stay with you, tonight?”

“I’d like that.” Arin said, turning to dig a blanket out of a pack concealed by the dark. “I’ll sleep better with you near me.”

Dan moved to slide onto the pallet next to Arin, letting the quartermaster wrap his arms around him and pull him close. It was unlike how they usually slept together: it felt distant in it’s own way but it was the most comforting thing Dan could think of in that moment. Because more than anything he needed to feel Arin next to him, alive and pulling in breath and kissing him as they drifted into sleep to fight off the looming shadow of tomorrow.


	20. twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how do you decide if your actions are worth their consequences, and if the consequences are worth their actions?

Morning came too quickly, and with Arin gently nudging Dan awake. The sky was still dark, hints of orange and pink just barely coming up on the eastern horizon. The quartermaster produced some bread and cheese from a pack and handed it to Dan, both of them moving around their corner of the camp wordlessly. The rest of the camps were just as quiet, a stark contrast from the previous night. No fires were re-lit, causing Dan to look up in worry when he sensed movement coming towards them from the west. His hand, shaking, went to his sword but Arin covered it with his own, a smile creeping across his face as he stood up. From out of the early-morning dark, the figures of Elves emerged, moving quietly in long rows. One of the Elves, presumably a commander, stopped when they saw Arin, coming over to speak to him in quiet Elven. The relief on Arin’s face was clear as they spoke, the man’s entire body seeming to relax as he watched the Elves stream into the valley.

“Daniel Avidan,” a voice said from somewhere behind the slim man, breaking the silence of the morning. Dan turned and was surprised to see Kati there, dressed in her forest-colored armor, a long bow slung over her back. She smiled widely at him and Dan couldn’t help but return it, holding a hand out for her to clasp in greeting.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here this morning,” Dan said, dropping his hand from the greeting. “Shouldn’t you be in your land, fighting there?”

“Our King sent us here to join you. My brothers and sisters will be fine without us behind our border. Maybe we will help turn the tide here.” she said, winking at Dan before turning when her commander called her name in Elven. She responded quickly, the words pouring out of her mouth like a waterfall before she turned to Dan one last time. “Fight well, Dan. Know that I will have your back, should you need me.”

“Just as I have yours,” Dan said, lifting a hand in farewell as the Elf woman walked off with her commander, following their comrades into the dark to take their position for the attack.

“You knew her?” Arin said, coming to stand close to Dan.

“I did. I met her at the Keep when we left the valley. We became friends in that short time. I’m supposed to go and visit her and her family once this is all over.” Dan grinned, the memory of that day full of work an oddly happy one.

“Make sure you do. Promises are important to Elves.” Arin was oddly serious, but then his grin was back as he moved past Dan, rummaging in a pack near his bedroll. “And Elves love guests. It’s some…cultural thing. You’ll never have a better time than when you’re the guest in an Elf’s home.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Dan quipped, slowly making his way towards Arin and the edge of their camp.

“You could say that.”

From somewhere further off in the camp, the sound of a horn rumbled towards them.

“It’s about that time then,” Dan said, looking up at the sky. The sun was beginning to spill over the horizon, filling the sky with harsh colors.

“Watch yourself,” Arin said, standing up. He looked tired and unlike himself. “Watch your brothers and sisters. Come back.”

“I could say the same for you,” Dan murmured, stepping closer to Arin. He didn’t want to get sentimental now, not when a battlefield was seven thousand steps away from where they were. Too close, but far enough away yet that he could keep it at bay for a little while longer. Dan leaned in, pressing a kiss to Arin’s mouth, hard and desperate to be everything the kiss they shared last night wasn’t.

They pulled away from each other, no other words worth speaking. Dan went back to his company, finding Jack and Mark before finding his gear and pulling on his armor, slinging his blade onto his hip, falling into formation with the others as the commanders called the orders to move out.

 

The march seemed to pass quickly, the looming city of Carnellian coming into view steadily and rapidly. They had been taught how to siege the city, where the weak points would be and where the best points of entry would be and how to overcome the forces that would be dogpiled there and-

Suddenly Dan could hear shouts ahead of him and he looked up to see the walls of the city towering over him. He was at a standstill in front of a main gate;  one of the wooden gates was on fire, being prodded along by polearms, but somewhere else along the wall, further down to Dan’s right, the rebels were moving faster, pouring into a hole in the wall that Dan guessed had been put there by one of the mages.

Another shout brought his attention back to where he was, and he turned in time to see the wooden gate come crashing down,  rebels already inside the walls fighting royal soldiers that had previously been holding the door shut. Dan followed Jack ahead of him, taking swings at soldiers as they came closer to him, the act of fighting easier now that he wasn’t letting himself think about it. Instead he only let himself think of Arin; his only focus was finding him. While he knew Arin would fight wherever he was needed, Dan knew without fail, Arin would make his way to the palace with Barry and Suzy, pushing through whatever defenses Jon had given himself to reach him. While Jack and the rest of his Company turned left, fighting towards a larger cadre of soldiers, Dan turned right, running down a street towards the palace.

A soldier appeared from a doorway, taking a hard swing at Dan which he dodged, parrying and returning the attack with the same grace he’d envied from Arin and Barry’s sparring that he now had earned for himself. He dispatched his enemy quickly, running through the streets that gently began to tilt uphill, moving towards the center of the city where the palace waited. Once away from the wall, the streets and alleys were eerily empty and quiet, the sounds of fighting far away. Dan tried not to focus on the faces that peeked out of windows and doorways, the frightened expressions that saw him as a monster, or maybe a savoir… either way, they were roles he couldn’t fill, wouldn’t fill. He silently willed them to stay inside, to wait until this was over, when it would be safe, and turned a corner just in time to see Holly and Ross running up the next street over. Dan dashed after them, certain that they all were going to the same place.

In seconds he had caught up to the Solimeic and the mage, both of them seemingly not surprised to see him join them.

“Looking for Arin?” Holly asked, out of breath as she readjusted her grip on the knife in her hand. Dan could only nod as he tried to keep pace with the two of them. Holly motioned ahead of them, the gates to the palace were torn down, bodies strewn around. “He’s already inside. We have to hurry.”

Dan didn’t ask any more questions as they finished their sprint into the palace, the trail of the fight clear from the bloodstains and bodies in the halls. The three of them came to a stop, looking around. Dan’s stomach lurched; Holly and Ross seemed to remain stoic. Most of the bodies belonged to Jon’s soldiers, but there were a few faces that Dan knew he’d seen before, and he had to look away.

“I’m going to set up a barrier here, try to stop any strays of Jon’s from playing backup,”  Ross said with an air of finality, like he’d be arguing about the issue. “You two go, find Arin.” He turned back to the gate, holding his hands out and whispering words under his breath, the air beginning to waver, like it was being heated by a afire. Holly’s gaze lingered on the mage for a long moment before she turned back to Dan, motioning him to follow.

The trail of blood and bodies lead them through a grand foyer, up a massive flight of stairs and down another corridor; if the sounds of fighting hadn’t been there to remind them what they were there to do, Dan would have been in awe of the place: he’d never seen a building so huge or lavish. Instead, though, he and Holly continued running through the halls, rounding one last corner to find themselves outside wide double-doors, Suzy and Barry clearly inside, fighting off small groups of soldiers. Arin was nowhere in sight, but Dan jumped in, taking a few soldier’s off of Barry’s hands. The room they were in was wide and long and full of soldiers, but after half a dozen opponents, there was a lull, and that’s when Dan saw them.

A tall, well-built man stood on a tiered platform, a throne behind him, He had a handsome, round face and dark hair, topped with a crown that betrayed him as the King. Dan felt his breath catch in his throat, seeing Jon for the first time; the man that was the source of all of this…standing just there, his gaze focused on a figure standing just below him. Dan couldn’t mistake the second figure’s stance anywhere – Arin was pointed at the King, both had their swords drawn, both stood still, watching each other.

“You could end this, you know.” Arin said, his voice clear over the sounds of fighting behind him. Jon watched him with a careful look, seeming to ponder his words before a wicked grin split his face.

“And hand over the throne? Why would I do something so foolish as that?”

“Where is my brother?!” Arin demanded, his voice tight and pointed. Jon looked at him, his face torn between a look of pain and derision. “My brother, who knew kindness, and reason and truth. Where is he, Jon? What have you done with him?”

“He’s dead. Dead and gone, and now there is only me.”

Arin lifted his sword, pointing the tip at the King. There was a stillness between them that seemed to flood the room. It was broken in an instant when Arin lunged at the King, a yell tearing from his throat that was unlike any sound Dan had ever heard the man make. Their fighting was graceful and furious and lightning-fast. As if their fighting reignited the others, another wave of guards seemed to find Dan, trying to get past him to aid the King. Dan pushed them back to Barry and Suzy and Holly, his attention torn between keeping the guards at bay and going to Arin’s side.

Suddenly, as if hitting a wall, there was a dead standstill in the throne room and abrupt silence as a sword clattered to the ground from the throne platform. Dan turned and his blood chilled when he saw Arin holding his side, the sword Dan knew as his resting on the ground. Jon wore an expression that betrayed him; he watched in vague horror as Arin took a few staggering steps back, nearly tripping as he stepped off the lowest step of the platform. The sword held weakly in the King’s hand was painted red. Arin let out a harsh breath as he brought his hand up from where he’d been holding it, the skin of his palm stained shining red. Everything around Dan seemed to move in half-time as he dropped his weapon and ran towards the quartermaster, catching him as he stumbled back again. Easing him down to the floor, Dan glanced up to Jon, but everything about him blurred with the rest of the room. All Dan could see was Arin’s body on the ground next to him, the man breathing hard through the pain. Dan glanced down at the wound, not able to see how deep it ran, but the blood spilling from it was worrying.

“Arin-“

“Dan,” the quartermaster started, but his gaze suddenly refocused and he grit his teeth before issuing a command. “Move!”

In half a moment, Dan had grabbed Arin’s sword from its place on the ground and lifted it to stop the blow Jon had aimed at the prone men. Despite his awkward position, Dan pushed against Jon’s attack, sending him a step back.

Rage filled Dan, hotter and wilder than he ever thought he could feel. His parry had set the King off balance, and Dan used that half a breath to stand again, taking his own swing at the man, pushing him away from where Arin lay prone. He’d thought he’d finally come to understand anger and fear at the hands of the King who didn’t belong on the throne in the first place, but now it was very suddenly about more than simple justice for a prince. This was protecting what he cared about; it was about making Jon feel the fear that had crept into Dan’s heart when he saw the blood on Arin’s hand. This was revenge for a million offences, most prominently the spilling of the blood of the one person Dan loved more than his own life.

Months of training and instruction triggered muscle memory and Dan fought without thinking, aiming at the points Arin had shown him the morning before they’d left the valley, when he’d been so afraid for Dan’s life he taught him how to kill a man, just in case. But it was clear despite Jon’s surprise at wounding Arin, he knew how to fight and quickly caught on to Dan’s rhythm, matching him blow for blow. Somewhere behind him he could hear Suzy’s voice, and Barry’s, but they seemed miles away and hollow. He slipped around Jon, his speed giving him the advantage of half a moment. Just as he made to slide his blade between the King’s ribs, a gauntlet-clad hand caught him in the jaw, the hard swing sending him to the ground, dizzy and blurry-eyed.  He’d fallen hard on the step in front of the throne, leaving him breathless and prone to Jon as he turned, poised above the man.

“This is over. The throne is mine… this kingdom is mine.” He snarled, lifting his sword. Dan huffed out a breath, trying to will himself to move, but the exertion of his fight was beginning to catch up to him. He closed his eyes, waiting to feel metal press against his skin, but it never came. The only thing Dan heard was a choked off gasp and Barry’s voice call Arin’s name. In an instant Dan’s eyes were open again.

Jon had dropped to his knees, hands covering a wound that leaked red, the life slipping from his face. Standing above him, face ashen and eyes tired was Arin, still bleeding, but his face was defiant still as he pulled a blade out of Jon’s back. Dan’s gaze met Arin’s, and in moments his hard stare faded into a softer one, a smile creeping onto his blood-spattered face.

But then Arin winced, and his knees buckled. Dan scrambled to him but he was dizzy himself and could barely focus on Arin’s body in front of him.

“We’ve won,” Dan muttered, brushing loose strands of hair from Arin’s face, the man’s breathing becoming shallow. “Just wait and see...”

“Have I ever… did I ever apologize to you? For putting you…through all of this?” Arin winced and gasped for breath. “If we’d just kept on, if we’d just…passed by that inn….you could have-“

“No, no, Arin. Arin don’t apologize.  All of this… this is all worth it because I met you. Because I have you.” Dan could feel tears stinging at his eyes and he tried to wipe them away before they fell, but to no avail. Arin smiled and lifted a hand; gently, weakly brushing tears away.

“So brave and foolish.”  Arin muttered, his eyes finally slipping closed. Panic welled in Dan’s chest as he called for the quartermaster, begging him to wake up. He barely noticed Suzy and Barry pull him away from Arin’s body while Ross and a few others who seemed to appear out of nowhere huddled around him. Barry’s strong hands led him from the room, dragging him when Dan tried to break away and get back to Arin.

“Let them work, Dan. You have your own wounds to worry about,” Barry said, his normally gruff voice tired and defeated. As if in a dream, Dan listened and followed, letting himself be lead to a haphazardly set up healing room. He wondered if all of the fighting was done, or if it had simply moved on from this part of the palace. The last thing he remembered before darkness swallowed him was the anxious look passed between Barry and Suzy, and their glances over their shoulders, and wet tracks on their faces where tears had been.


	21. twenty-one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so many loose ends, tied off.  
> so many questions, answered.  
> but what now?

When Dan woke up, the first thing he saw was high stone ceilings.

After that, it was Jack; sitting slumped in a nearby chair, arms crossed and head down, sleeping in his seat. They were both in a small room, one that looked much like a smaller version of Arin’s bedroom in Regent’s Keep.  Dan coughed once, twice as he realized his throat was drier than he could ever remember it being and that was enough for Jack to startle and wake, sitting up and looking first to Dan, relief washing over his face when he saw him awake.

“You’re back with us.” He said, his voice quiet. “You need some water?”

Dan nodded and watched as Jack stood and retrieved a wide bowl of water from a pitcher near the door, bringing it back to Dan and helping him drink, waiting for the taller man to regain his voice.

“How long have I been asleep?” Dan muttered, his voice thick. Jack sat on the edge of the bed, still holding the now empty bowl.

“Two days. Healers think you over-exerted yourself, lost maybe a little too much blood. You had lots of cuts and bruises. You fought hard.”

“Where’re the others? Are they okay?” Dan asked pushing himself to sit up more. His head felt fuzzy and heavy, and nearly immediately he wanted to lay back down.

“The commanders and mages are alright, Holly’s got a broken arm but she’ll pull through. The rest is as expected, I suppose. Horse Company lost… a lot of good people.” Jack stopped short. He swallowed hard, his voice wavering in a way that Dan had never heard before when he spoke again. “They… no one really knows how Arin is. No one is allowed to see him. No one knows where he is in the palace even. And…Mark…”

Dan could feel dread creeping up into his stomach, up and up into his chest and throat and he wanted to stop Jack from speaking  as if that would make whatever he was about to say not true.

“Mark didn’t make it. He was trying to lead a group up to the palace, but they were ambushed in an alley. The few who escaped said they did because… because Mark held Jon’s soldiers back long enough to give them a chance. He went down fighting, like he always said he wanted to.”

Jack went quiet, his gaze focused hard on a point on the floor. Dan didn’t, couldn’t say anything. He waited for tears to show up, but none ever did; just a heavy, dull ache in his chest that he knew all too well was grief. Both men shared silence for a long while, before Dan’s hand found Jack’s, gently taking it in a small reminder of his presence and support. The Southerner was shaking and light filtering in through the window betrayed a small cascade of tears falling onto the bedspread.

“We talked,” he started, his voice thick and mournful and it hurt Dan to hear Jack like that. “We talked about visiting my homeland together, when this fucking war was done. I wanted him to see everything, I wanted him to love it as much as I did. I wanted him to know exactly who I was and where I came from and-“ Again, Jack stopped short, this time he wiped at his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying. Dan waited, patient and silent as he tried to remember Mark’s face, his voice, his kindness and strength and all the good things he’d been. Jack huffed a wry laugh and Dan looked back to him. The shorter man shook his head, as if in disbelief.

“I loved him.” Jack’s attention turned back to Dan. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something else but he didn’t. Instead, the Southerner stood and replaced the bowl he still held by the pitcher, standing there for a long moments before coming back to Dan’s bedside. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more about Arin. I think Barry is the only one who rightly knows where he’s at. The rest of us just have to wonder.”

“Where…will they bury him?” Dan asked, hesitantly.

“Barry says he’s got a place in the Royal Family’s tomb, but it’s up to Holly. I don’t know how Solimeics handle their dead.”

Dan nodded but stayed quiet, unsure how to continue. After a beat Jack stood up again, turning to look down at the man still in the bed.

“D’you wanna try and stand up? Maybe use the privy, get something to eat?”

The sudden normalcy of Jack’s statement was an odd juxtaposition, but he was somehow grateful for it. The ache in his chest was devastating, and anything to keep his mind from it was more than welcome as far as he was concerned.

 

 

Another two days passed, and Dan grew stronger by the hour. He never anticipated that the aftermath of a fight would be so much sitting and waiting, but part of him wanted to believe that this was truly the aftermath of a war, not just a battle. He tried to find ways to keep himself busy, but many of the jobs he’d been used to doing were taken over by new faces, all of which had been told to keep him from overexerting himself. A stable hand named Vernon had become exceptionally adept at escorting Dan away from the stalls, finally giving in and letting him oil tack so long as he stayed sitting and didn’t over do it, watching him cautiously while he tended to the horses.

“I don’t need Suzy coming after me for letting you work,” he would say, worry etched on his face. Dan only shook his head, letting a small grin through at the thought of Suzy issuing some order to not let him work.

“I won’t let her get you.” Dan answered, pulling another harness from his pile, glad for the distraction. In fact he wished she would come for him, seeing as all of the commanders were impossible to track down as of late. He knew that she would have word about Arin, and that was what he needed at this point, now that he was out of the woods. He needed to know that he was alive, that he’d survived, but even moreso he needed to know if he hadn’t made it. If that were the case…. Dan didn’t want to consider it, but he had to know how to come back from that, if he could at all.

Midday on the fourth day after the battle, Dan was perched on the green outside the stables, occupying himself with an inane task that Vernon passed down to him when a procession of carriages and mounted soldiers passed by, disappearing into the second courtyard of the palace. Vernon stepped outside to see the commotion, his hands on his hips, his face set.

“Those are Elves leading that escort. I’ll bet you that’s the Prince.”

Dan could feel his blood run cold at the thought of the Prince. What good would he do now, except take control of the city he and his friends had fought –and died- for? He stood up, suddenly desperate to be as far away from the palace as possible. He wanted nothing to do with a Prince that showed up so conveniently, when all was said and done. There were too many loose ends for Dan to be ready to celebrate a victory.

He stalked away from the palace grounds, moving into the city. Things had begun to recover nearly instantly, and most of the rebel forces were being used to repair the damage they’d helped to create, tending to citizens who’d been unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire. Most people ignored him as he walked through the maze of streets, and he wondered how he hadn’t gotten lost when he’d been running through them just a few days ago. He also wondered how they hadn’t lost more lives to ambushes like the one Mark died in, when everywhere he looked there were hiding places; shadows just dark enough to conceal, breaks in walls where a body could hide. He reached the main gate that lead out into Althanar, facing the foothills he’d camped in with Arin. He turned away from the hills only to find a horse to his right, it’s rider stopped to look down at him,

“How did you get so far from the palace?” Suzy asked, her voice soft and concerned.

“I walked. I didn’t…. I didn’t want to be there, for awhile. But what are you doing down here? Don’t tell me you came all this way for me.”

“No, but I would have, had I known you’d gone so far. In truth, the funeral rites for the fallen Elves are going to start soon, and as the daughter of the Minister of War it’s my honor to observe their final passage.”

“Can I come with?” Dan asked, looking up at the Elf woman. She seemed surprised for a moment, but then nodded, offering a hand to him to help pull him up onto the back of her horse.

“You might be one of the few humans to be able to witness an Elven funeral rite,” she said, nudging her horse to move again once Dan was comfortably situated behind her. “Our tradition is that those who fall together must accompany one another to the Final Rest. We’ll observe their passage from that hilltop,” she pointed to a tall crest a fair distance away. Dan listened as she explained other nuances of her people’s funeral rites, explaining what would happen, what to say, when to say it.

“If you follow my lead, you’ll be fine. Most won’t notice any missteps anyway. This is a hard time for everyone and protocol is the last thing on many people’s mind.”

Dan was comforted by that, especially when Suzy’s horse finally crested the hill, what seemed like a sea of bodies was arranged on the downward slope of the hill that rolled into the sea; on the beach where land met water, a barge was being pushed into the waves. Once on it’s way, a volley of arrows, set alight, fell onto the barge, turning it into a floating pyre. From somewhere near the beach, a cry started, a mess of words that Dan didn’t understand, but they seemed to move like a wave upwards to them at the top of the hill, where he and Suzy now stood, her horse taken aside by an unseen hand. As the cry reached them, an exceptionally tall Elf opened a folio of stiff parchment and began reading off what Suzy had explained were the names of the fallen. The crier-Elf’s voice carried far, and with each name the crowd below responded with the phrase Suzy told him to expect:

‘ _Tea o lomylr miomaeol_.’

The words seemed clumsy and heavy coming from him, but the repetitive and strong sound of them coming from the Elves was comforting and encouraging, and he wondered if that was how it was supposed to feel. In a flash, he wondered what Kati would think of his pronunciation; he wondered what she thought of all this in the first place.  Idly, he tried to see if he could see her in the rows near him, but then he heard something that made his heart stop.

“Uldoemaeol  Dernir!”

“ _Tea a lomylr miomaeol.”_

He looked at the crier, but he was already to the next name. Dernir… that was Kati’s family name, but what was her first? Hadn’t it sounded just like that? It wasn’t possible, he must have misheard… He looked to Suzy, his voice rushed and panicked.

“What…what was that name? Dernir? Who was that?”

“Uldoemaeol… an archer from Hsunudo Keep, where you went after the valley - I believe. She had taken an Althanarian name too. I can’t recall it though. Did you know her?”

Dan couldn’t answer; only step back once, twice, before turning to nearly run down the hill, away from the sea and the fiery barge and the bodies being burned up on it, their ashes returning to the air and the sea and the earth. He reached the bottom of the hill and came to a stop, out of breath and tears finally finding him. He slumped onto the ground, the name echoes in his mind and suddenly  he felt distant from everything and too aware of the crier still reading names, of the congregated Elves’ automatic response, of wind whipping the smell of the burning barge and bodies back to him even with the shelter of the hillside and it is all too much. He cradled his head in his hands, quiet sobs escaping him, as if they’d been building in him for months and years instead of days.

It was as if the weight of everything seemed to come pressing down on him all at once; Mark’s death and now Kati’s… not knowing how Arin was faring or even where he was or if he was even alive... His entire body shook, but despite that he still felt Suzy’s hand on his shoulder and he started, looking up to see her hovering over him. She crouched down next to him, her usually stoic face betraying her own feelings. For the first time in all the time Dan had known her, she looked devastated.

“I’m sorry, Dan.” Suzy said, her voice quiet and raw.

“It only takes,” Dan started, voice thick with tears, bitter anger welling up in his chest. “That’s all war does, doesn’t it? It takes and takes and doesn’t care what it hurts, who it hurts. She was supposed to survive. She was supposed to go home.”

“I was always taught that war gives at the greatest cost. It is never a fair deal for those who have to look it in the eyes.” She hesitated before speaking again. “You knew Undoemaeol?”

“She called herself Kati. We met at the Keep near the valley. She was going to go home after this,” Dan said, his voice tired, disbelieving. “She had a fiancé, who was an artist… and her parents were waiting for her too. I was supposed to go and visit her. She wanted to show me her home, she wanted me to see how beautiful the capitol is.”

“You two grew close in a short time of knowing each other.”

“There was something about her. Talking with her was like talking with a sister.”

“Our lore says that souls who have known one another will always find each other every time they walk the world. Perhaps your souls knew each other in different lives.”

“She said something like that when we first met, walking in the woods.” Dan said, wiping tears away only to have them replaced a moment later. He tried to picture her face back then, smiling as she told him that she had been proud of him.

“I am sorry you found out this way, Dan.” Suzy repeated, still sitting close. “It seems you’ve suffered more than others through all of this.”

Dan knew what she meant, and wondered how much she could tell him about Arin, if she would say anything at all. He didn’t want to be painted as some tragic hero, but her words sunk deep in him. Others had lost people they cared about – Jack and all of Horse Company had lost Mark, Kati’s family didn’t know it yet but she was gone… Arin… at this point, Arin was either dead or dying. Why would they hide his recovery? A new round of tears found him and he felt Suzy’s arm around him, her head on his shoulder.

“If I knew anything, Dan, I would tell you, please know that. I’m just as afraid as you are.”

 

 

The next morning was clear and sunny and warm, and felt like a staunch opposition to how Dan felt. Everything was hazy and dull, but life seemed insistent on moving on, with or without him. Suzy had taken him back to the palace once the funeral rites had ended and given him some sort of drink that knocked him out soundly, letting him get dreamless sleep for the first time in days. It had helped, but wasn’t enough to cure the ache that radiated from his chest, the heaviness that seemed to rest on him at all times. He made his way to the stables but once he found himself there, he couldn’t bring himself to go in and look for work. He stood outside instead, the steady movement of the sun creeping a ray of light onto him, the warmth comfortable. From somewhere behind him, someone cleared their throat, trying to catch h is attention. Dan turned and was surprised to see Barry and Suzy standing there.

“You’ve been summoned.” Suzy said, her voice worlds away from where it had been yesterday at the hill. She seemed back to her normal self, if not a bit guarded.

“By who?” Dan asked, turning to follow the duo as they lead the way back into the palace.

“The Prince wants to see you.”

“You’re kidding me.” Dan said, stopping short. “I don’t want to see the Prince.”

“You can’t defy an order,” Suzy warned, but Dan only laughed.

“I don’t owe him anything! All of this is his fault, every… everyone that’s gone is gone because of him. I don’t want to see him.”

“Dan, please. Just go speak with him. Hear him out.” Barry said, having turned back to speak directly to the taller man. “I promise you, it’ll be worth it.”

Dan could feel anger welling up in him again and he nodded despite himself, resentful of it all.

The two commanders lead him through the palace, following a familiar trail to the throne room. However, instead of staying in the throne room, they directed him to a door off to the side which lead into a smaller room, dimly lit but full of books and the smell of old paper. He went inside and was surprised to hear the door close soundly behind him.

The window of the room was facing away from the sun, so the only light was coming from a low fire burning in the fireplace on the other side of the room. In front of the fireplace was a chair, it’s back to him yet at an angle. From where he stood, Dan knew that there was someone in the chair, sitting still, waiting. All of his anger and bitterness and sadness was still brewing in him and Dan wanted to tell the Prince exactly how he felt, regardless of the consequences. He strode across the room, ready to let his words go, but he stopped short. The person in the chair had stood up, and was facing him in the low light.

It was Arin.

 

His name passed Dan’s lips like a ghost and the quartermaster smiled weakly at him, as if he was guilty of something. The taller man closed the space between them, his hands shaking as he touched Arin’s hands, arms, up to his shoulders, neck, and jawline, tracing there as if to ensure that he was real before pressing a kiss to his lips, trying to let it be the words he didn’t know how to say, couldn’t think to say, all of his feelings over the past week; his fear and longing and mourning and now, blessedly, relief.  They broke apart for a moment, but came back together, foreheads pressed together, laughter bubbling up from Dan intermixed with unexpected tears from both of them and they stayed like that for a few minutes, Dan reveling in the presence of the man he loved, Arin letting him, his hands, finding Dan’s chest, resting there as if to feel for his heartbeat. After awhile, Dan pulled away, wiping at the tear tracks on his face with his sleeve, still studying the other man’s face, trying to find where he looked different, and why.

“They said the Prince wanted to talk to me, I didn’t think- Why didn’t they tell me I was going to see you?”

“Well… they didn’t lie to you, Dan.” Arin said, his voice strange, like he was out of practice using it.

“But…” Dan frowned, letting Arin’s words sink in trying to force them to make sense. “I thought the Prince was in Duetiri, that he just arrived here-“

“That’s what we wanted everyone to believe. We couldn’t run any risk of word slipping that I was actually with the rebels, that I had been wandering Althanar. I’m sorry I never told you, Dan. I never meant to deceive you, I just… I needed to keep you… everyone safe. And it was safer if you didn’t know who I really was.”

“You’re the Prince.” Dan said, taking a step back as if Arin was a completely different person. Arin matched him, taking a step forward, taking the soldier’s hands in his own.

“I am. But I’m still Arin. I’m still the man you saved at the Inn a year ago. I’m still the rebel you followed into the valley, I’m still the one who loves you, who needs you.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t tell me anything about yourself,” Dan said, all of the little mysteries of Arin suddenly coming to light, the missing piece now having been revealed. “And why you were gone for so long in the fall, and why we had to escape the valley when we did. And why you were so thankful to have escaped the Inn.”

“It all comes back to it. I am… so sorry if you feel deceived, Dan. Truly, I-“

“I don’t. I understand, I do and I’m just-“ Dan struggled for words. The relief at seeing Arin alive, well, was worth everything to him. Learning he was the prince was… complicated. What did it change? What would happen now? Where would they go from here? There were a million questions and scenarios in his mind but then he felt Arin take his hand again and suddenly nothing else mattered at all.

“I’m just glad to have to here, now.”

“We have so much to talk about,” Arin said, his tired face etched with worry, the weight of his title, of the unseen crown he already wore heavy in him.

“Where do we begin?”

 

 

The talk they shared was long and detailed, often painful, sometimes joyful. All of the questions Dan had ever had finally found their answers, and new questions arose that somehow painted a new picture of the war he’d been sucked into that he’d never expected. The most compelling thing he learned was how Jon had been raised with Arin, by the Queen Regent, but had been lured back to usurp the throne of Althanar by a council of lords with dark intent of their own, not knowing that the young man they had chosen to use as their false King would come to them with a heart set on revenge for a betrayal that never happened. Suddenly Arin’s talk of his brother made more sense, and Dan wondered how deeply it had affected him, hearing his adopted brother tell him that the man he’d known was dead and gone. Somehow, it was harder for Dan to celebrate Jon’s death, after that.

Another week passed before it finally felt like order was restored in the city of Carnellian. Once he’d seen Dan, news of Arin’s recovery swept through the troops, through the city and everything took on a new, more hopeful feeling, like everyone had been holding their breath and they could finally breathe again. When he was feeling well enough, Arin called a council of his commanders, asking for their help one last time, or allowing them to leave, honor intact and with his deepest gratitude. Not one commander left the table, all awaiting the final orders of the war.

There was still so much work to be done, and Suzy and Barry, ever the leaders of men and women, proposed to move out again, clearing the Kingdom of any remaining supporters of the former King before moving to liberate Waynesse and negotiate peace with the Elves. Suzy would go, the best candidate to broker peace between Elven forces and the newly reformed Kingdom of Althanar. Barry would stay with Arin and a contingency of loyal troops to hold down Carnellian, fulfilling his role as the son of a Knight of the Royal Family. Holly, it was decided, would lead the remaining Solimeic forces back to their homeland to clear any wayward supporters from the grasslands, and to begin rebuilding their lives there. Other commanders volunteered to take different paths through the Kingdom, cleaning house as they went, and Arin approved their plans without hesitation, ready to be done with war and fighting just as much as the others.

Dan, knowing Arin was well, faced a new restless worry in his heart that he couldn’t shake; the fate of his former home, of the Innkeeper and his family and the nearby village. Buried deeper, the need to see Kati’s family, to tell them that she had shown him kindness, that he missed her every day, that he wanted to fulfill her wish to have him visit. He knew he had unfinished work to tend to in the west.

And deep in his heart he knew that Arin wouldn’t be able to go with him. Arin had his own work to tend to, his own worries and challenges and while Dan wanted to be there for him, even Arin could see that the loose ends Dan couldn’t put aside needed to be addressed before any sort of peace could come to him.

 

He decided to leave with Suzy, following her troops until they reached Brian’s old farmstead. They would head north, while he would go south, returning to his former home to help rebuild. After that, he would travel north, venturing into Nyrsonnop towards Duetiri to find the house of Dernir – Kati’s family – to make good on his promise.

“After that,” Dan said, adjusting a fold in Arin’s shirt, looking for any idle reason to touch the man. “I’ll come back.” The sun was just risen, the day promising to be mild and beautiful. A contingency had moved out the day before, moving south towards New-Kel-on-the-Delta, including Jack, returning home to the Southern Kingdoms. His and Dan’s farewell had been tearful, their friendship seeded deeper than either of them had imagined. Part of them both seemed to know that it was unlikely that their paths would cross again, but both wished for it with all of their hearts.

Now it was Elves, and a few of the remaining contracted forces on the last legs of their agreements, just waiting to be released. Arin stood with Dan on one of the hilltops just outside of the city, Dan’s horse – that had been Mark’s, a gift from Holly and Jack – waiting patiently nearby, head lowered to eat at the new grass springing up.

“I’ll wait for you,” Arin said, his voice low and meant just for Dan, despite it just being the two of them on the hill. “However long it takes.”

“I can’t have my Prince… my King being held up on my account.” Dan murmured, still unused to seeing Arin in fine clothes. Gold threads in the collar of his shirt caught the sunlight, and Dan reached a hand up to trace the pattern they wove – rose leaves, like the ones on the cloak pin he wore. A rearing unicorn flanked by blooming roses; the crest of the Royal Family of Althanar. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. There’s so much to do.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Arin said as they both leaned in, their foreheads touching together as a horn sounded from the troops below, signaling it was time to move out. “It could take twenty years and I’d still be waiting.”

They shared one last kiss, one deep and lasting and meant to stick in your memory like honey on warm cakes, something blissful to return to when you need it most. They broke apart and Dan mounted his horse, riding it down the hill to join the tail end of the troops, his mind racing faster than the wind off the sea. Every high and low point from the past year seemed so distant and unreal, but every painful or blissful memory gave them sharp, undeniable life. In his heart, Dan wondered if it was all worth it. The pain and suffering, the lost lives, losing friends, losing loved ones, the agony of war… Impulsively, Dan turned in the saddle to look back at the hill. Arin still stood there, watching him leave. Dan raised a hand in a final farewell, which Arin returned, and in that moment, he knew without a doubt that all of those actions, his actions…. They were worth their consequence.


	22. epilogue

After splitting up with Suzy’s forces at the old farmhouse - which was just a burnt-out shell now, never repaired from when Brian and his family had been chased out nearly a year and a half prior - Dan went home, relieved to find the Innkeeper, his wife, son and most of the people who had worked there still alive, still holding out hope. The Innkeeper’s son had recognized him first, and had nearly flung himself into Dan’s arms, sobbing tears of joy when he told him that King Jon was dead, that Prince Arin had taken back the throne; that things would be different. For the rest of his life, Dan would never be able to forget the look on the Innkeeper’s face when he told him he was there to help rebuild.

It was a long process, punctuated by little successes in rebuilding that seemed to restore hope to the nearby town as well. The King’s army had cleared away much of the trees that had once surrounded the Inn, as well as nearly destroyed the place during their stay there, but over time, little by little, the Inn regained its former glory, and seedlings began to take root. It wouldn’t ever be quite the same in their lifetime, but it was a comfort to know that one day, it would be.

Rebuilding took nearly a year on its own, one that Dan spent focusing on the people he’d left behind, recounting his stories over and over at the fireside, to new crowds every night. Travelers became more frequent, and by the time business had picked up again to the point where it felt like the war had never happened at all, Dan was ready to move on again, ready to make good on his promise to Kati. He bid the Innkeeper and his family a proper farewell this time, leaving down the same road he’d come home on, heading north towards Waynesse, where he would pass into the Elf Kingdom.

Waynesse still wore it’s battle scars when he rode through, and he marveled that even a year later the damage done by a war that seemed so short could be so lasting. He easily crossed the border, Suzy’s peace talks having been an easy success. Dan had heard from travelers passing through that the Elf had surrendered on behalf of the rightful King of Althanar, instead of trying to compromise. He wondered if that was on purpose or just the easier route of things.

The journey north through Elf territory was different than Dan had expected. While he had anticipated resistance and mistrust from the Elves, considering how the last King had treated them, he was met with kindness and hospitality at every town he stopped in on his way to the Capitol, despite most of them not knowing any Common. He was escorted into Duetiri by a group of young merchants, eager to sell their wares in the big city, and equally eager to learn Common from a native speaker in exchange for a few meals.

As promised, Kati’s family was overjoyed for the company. Her mother and father were older Elves who didn’t know Common but her fiancé, the artist whose name was Sueam, was a willing and happy translator. The first night he spent with them they mourned the loss of their daughter, lover, friend, and Dan finally felt peace. He wondered if it had come to him with permission from Kati, now that he’d kept his promise, and if he was honest, that’s what he wanted to believe.

He stayed with the Dernir family for nearly a month, their unwavering hospitality and insistence that he stay making it an easy choice for him. Soon enough, though, bad news found him again when a messenger brought word that the Innkeeper’s wife had suddenly passed away. Dan headed back to the Grumpy Troll to ease her passing and help the Innkeeper, however he could. Over time, Dan began to fall back into a familiar routine; he was Dan before the war again, a stable hand, nothing more. The war, his journey, all of it seemed far away and hazy, like it had all been a dream.

And while this suited him, and he would have been happy to stay as such for the rest of his life, Arin was always at the back of his mind, his last words always echoing faintly when he least expected it. By now it had been nearly two years since he left. He hadn’t heard anything from anyone, but had come to accept that no news was good news. He wondered if Arin still stood by his word, or if he had listened to him when he asked him not to wait on his account. Sometimes the thought of it ate him alive. Sometimes he wondered if he was better off not knowing.

And then one day, he knew he needed to go back. The back and forth in his mind was too much, and he needed to see him again. It was time. It had been time for a long while but Dan knew in his heart that he was afraid of what he might find in going back to Carnellian but this was at odds with the core of his being; brave and foolish. It always came back to that. It hadn’t failed him yet and so he bid his final goodbye to the Innkeeper and his son, to the little town he’d grown up in, to the forest he’d helped replant and once again followed the road north, deciding to follow a familiar path and clear the haze from he memory.

He traced his path back through all the old places, as if revisiting them would shake his memory, let him revisit that fateful year again, now with more detail, with a better backdrop. The shell of the old farmhouse was still there, still empty, now almost three years later. He passed it by, following the path he remembered towards the valley, the foothills as barren as he remembered them being. Rocks had fallen in on the entrance to the valley, making it inaccessible. He wondered if the King’s forces had done that purposefully, or if nature had just run its course. He turned east and headed towards the forest that hid Regent’s Keep, half expecting it to still sit empty. Much to his surprise it was back in full use, full of life. An even bigger surprise was finding the mage Brian and his family there.

The mage was happy to relay the goings on over the last two years, recapping where everyone had ended up after all was said and done. He admitted that he wasn’t sure where Ross, the younger mage was, but he suspected Solime, since he had mentioned wanting to reconnect with Holly after the two mages had cleared the Apocrypha of any rouge supporters still loyal to the former King, putting the tower back in the control of the new and rightful King.  Suzy was in Duetiri, splitting her time between there and Carnellian. There were rumors flying that Barry was meaning to propose to her, but he couldn’t speak to the truth of it. And Arin – Brian said, a soft smile creeping across his face – Arin was well. He was a man born and bred to rule, and he did it well. Dan wanted to ask if he’d taken on a consort, or if he was waiting, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead he accepted the hospitality of his host with the promise to move on in the morning. Dan was torn between eagerness and worry over what he would find in the capitol, and tried to temper his feelings by focusing on things one step at a time.

The ride through the woods and to the foothills where the rebels had spent the night before the battle was uneventful, the journey beginning to wear on Dan. The foothills before the city seemed to be greener, the air seemed fresher and the light from the sun brighter, somehow, as if signs that things were finally right in the Kingdom. Dan grinned to the sunlight on his face, relishing its warmth. He had a deep appreciation for it in recent days, the way it reminded him of Arin and the way his embraces felt.

The city was well repaired from their attack, and seemed to hum with life. He rode through the main gate, the guards standing there not turning to look at him, but he could feel their eyes follow his movements. He wondered if either of them had served in the rebel forces, if they knew each other. He didn’t stop to ask, however, and nudged his horse on, breaking into a trot to reach the palace sooner. Everything looked much the same from the last time he’d seen it; the streets had the same cobbled stones, the buildings were still the dull grey and brown weathered wood. As he rode into the first gate of the palace, into the courtyard were the stables and barracks were, he finally met a familiar face.

“You’re back,” Vernon said with an air of surprise. The man seemed more comfortable in his position, more at ease overall and he wondered if he was the stablemaster now. Dan slid off his horse and handed the reins to Vernon.

“I am. How have things been here?”

“Quiet,” Vernon started, looking thoughtful. “But not the same, without you here. Without everyone else. It’s a strange sort of quiet, like it’s not quite right. But I’m glad to see you.”

“And I, you. A familiar face is one I’d never take for granted.” Dan said, bidding the younger man a farewell before heading into the palace.

Inside, it was quiet, like it had been during the battle; there was sound coming from deeper inside, but it was far away, removed. Dan traced steps through halls and foyers, his feet moving with muscle memory even after all these years. A guard finally stopped him outside the door to the throne room, holding a hand out to keep him at bay.

“The King is in council today, there’ll be no holding of court.”

“I’m…  I know the King. He’s… he’s expecting me.”

Dan’s words seemed to fall flat from his mouth, like they were a lie, even though he didn’t know if that were true or not. The guard pondered him for a moment, then turned to open the door.

“How should I announce you?”

“Dan…just tell them that…Dan is here.”

The door swung open revealing a throne room full of light, and at the far end a table was set with a handful of figures arranged around it, their voices exchanging stubborn, formal words.

“Dan has arrived for the King!” the guard called, waiting to see the reaction of one of the figures at the other end of the room. A chair clattered back, but Dan couldn’t see who had done it; the light from the sun streaming in through the window casting a glare that obscured identities. Dan stepped into the throne room, feeling out of place and small and lost somehow but from out of the light Arin strode forward and Dan’s breath caught in his throat.

Three years had been good for Arin – he looked well, better than he had in all the time Dan had known him, his clothes even more decadent than when he’d last seen him, his hair tied neatly back, nestled under a crown that seemed made for him. His face was a mix of relief and fear, as if this was some joke or dream and that he would wake up at any moment and Dan knew the feeling because his heart matched it in that moment when what seemed like miles was crossed in seconds when they crashed together in an embrace that was two years in the making. Just like the sun, Arin’s embrace enveloped Dan and he smiled for it’s warmth, unable to stop smiling even when they separated to look at each other and drink in the other’s presence. In half a moment they came back for a kiss, celebratory and thankful and everything Dan had tried to preserve in his memory during their separation. They broke apart again, breathing just a little heavier, hearts pounding just a little harder.

“I waited,” Arin murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Dan’s face. “I was ready to send an army out to find you.”

“I told you not to wait for me,” Dan chided, still smiling wide.

“I never took orders very well.” The King grinned, pressing a small kiss to Dan’s lips.

“Would you still have me, then?” Dan asked, his voice tremulous despite knowing the answer already. He’d felt it in their embrace, in their kisses.

“I would. I need you by my side, Daniel Avidan. A King cannot rule without love by his side, to temper and tame him. Now I’ll ask you, would you have me?”

“For every step of every journey.” Dan said, his words low and for Arin alone. And finally, finally, Dan knew that his journey, the path he’d walked by chance that had changed his life so irrevocably,  was finally coming to an end. Now, he had a new path to walk, a new journey to take, with Arin by his side, and a Kingdom sprawled out ahead of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, so much for reading and sticking by me through this story! seven thousand steps is easily the longest fic i've ever written which is a huge accomplishment for me in the first place, and it's a bonus to know that so many people have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. i welcome all of your comments and thoughts on it, and look forward to creating another epic story for you all to enjoy!  
> <3, wispmother


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